MOUNT PLEASANT, MI – Toledo put forth a gallant effort but in the end fell short, dropping a 72-61 decision at Central Michigan on Saturday in McGuirk Arena. With the loss, the Rockets fall to 17-8 overall, 8-6 in the Mid-American Conference.

The MAC West Division co-leading Chippewas (20-6, 12-2 MAC) outscored UT, 27-14, in the fourth quarter to stretch its winning streak to six-consecutive games. 

Sophomore Mikaela Boyd paced UT with 15 points, followed closely by senior Janice Monakana, junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and sophomore Kaayla McIntyre with 14, 13 and 11, respectively.

As a team, Toledo shot 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the field and a season-high 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line to sustain only its second loss in the last seven games.

Cassie Breen led CMU with a game-high 22 points, while Jewel Cotton had 17 points and a contest-best 15 boards. The home team also received 13 points from Presley Hudson and 11 by Tinara Moore to stop a five-game losing skid against the Rockets.

Cotton's efforts on the glass were huge, helping Central Michigan finish with a decisive 54-36 rebounding edge. Included in that total were 23 offensive boards, which they translated into 20 points. UT had been outstanding on the glass over the previous five games, outrebounding its opponents by 8.6 rpg (42.2-33.6).  

The Chippewas started strong and hit six of their first 10 shots from the floor, jumping out to a 13-9 lead to force UT to call an early timeout. The home team benefited from back-to-back field goals from both Reyna Frost and Cotton to prompt the Rockets to stop play with 4:56 left in the opening period.

CMU continued to shoot the ball well from the field and held a 22-17 advantage after 10 minutes of action. Breen sparked the hot start with a pair of treys while playing all 10 minutes in the quarter.

The Rockets tightened up their defense in the second stanza and forced CMU to miss its first 11 shots and 17 of 19 overall from the floor in the period. UT took advantage of Central Michigan's scoring drought and cut its deficit to three points, 29-26, at the intermission.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, they were not able to further trim the deficit as they limited CMU to 10.5 percent (2-of-19) shooting in the quarter. The Midnight Blue & Gold was only able to produce nine points themselves to make it a one-possession difference at the break.

Toledo did receive a team-high eight points from Monakana and seven by McIntyre in the opening 20 minutes to keep them within striking distance.

UT started the third quarter strong, benefiting from a mini 6-0 run to claim its first lead, 34-33, at the 5:23 mark. Boyd started and ended the burst with four points, while Bravo-Harriott accounted for the other two in a span of just over one minute.

The teams then traded the lead on four occasions for the remainder of the period, and the Rockets took a 47-45 advantage into the final 10 minutes. Toledo outscored CMU 21-16 in the quarter and did a majority of its damage at the charity stripe, knocking down 9-of-10 at the line.

Central Michigan then broke the game open with a pivotal 11-2 run early in the fourth stanza to build a 58-51 advantage with 5:23 left in regulation. Breen triggered the rally with six points, while Moore tallied the the other five to force Toledo to call another timeout. It proved to be a lead CMU would not relinquish.

Following the stoppage, the Rockets retaliated with a pair of baskets to pull within three points, 62-59, but CMU put the game away with a traditional three-point play from Cotton and a deep triple by Breen to bring the home crowd to its feet.

Despite the loss, Toledo did a good job taking care of the basketball and finished with 11 assists and a season-tying low 10 turnovers.

The Rockets will return to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 22 when they host MAC West Division foe Eastern Michigan. The opening tip versus the Eagles is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed on ESPN3.

UT and EMU will compete for the second time this year and the 80th time overall. The Rockets secured a 66-49 road victory over the Eagles on Jan. 4 in the Convocation Center. Toledo leads the all-time series, 47-32, but has lost four of its last six meetings against its division foe.

A year ago, UT dropped a 58-46 home decision against EMU in Savage Arena (Feb. 24). 

Toledo also holds a 25-12 advantage in games played in Lucas County, but has split the last six match-ups at home.