ATHENS, Ohio – Junior
Tanaya Beacham finished with 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, but it was not enough as Toledo dropped an 86-58 decision at Ohio on Wednesday in the Convocation Center. With the loss, the Rockets fall to 11-13 overall, 6-7 in the Mid-American Conference.
The MAC East Division leading Bobcats (17-7, 9-3 MAC) broke open a close game with a pivotal 28-1 run over the course of the final two periods to help them claim their fourth-straight victory.
Beacham shot an efficient 9-of-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe to tally at least 20 points for the second time as a collegiate. Toledo's next highest scorer was freshman
Quinesha Lockett with eight points, followed closely by junior
Tatyana Davis and freshman
Soleil Barnes with seven each.
As a team, the Rockets connected on 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the floor, including 22.6 percent (7-of-31) from three-point range, and 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the charity stripe.
Erica Johnson paced Ohio with a game-high 31 points and nine assists, while Cierra Hooks had 20 points.
The Bobcats shot 51.5 percent (34-of-66) from the field, including a blistering 14-of-31 from three-point land, to stop a two-game losing skid against Toledo. Johnson was Ohio's main culprit from beyond the arc with eight three-point field goals.
FIRST QUARTER
• Toledo came out swinging and hit three triples in the opening 10 minutes. Senior
Sara Rokkanen, Lockett and Barnes each knocked downs treys at the outset.
• The Rockets also benefited from six points by Beacham to help them go toe-to-toe with the Bobcats.
• Toledo played well enough in the first period to have the lead, but Ohio's Johnson was a one-person wrecking crew accounting for a game-high 10 points. The four-time MAC East Division Player of the Week drilled three three-point field goals, all in the last three-plus minutes.
SECOND QUARTER
• Burke scored eight of Ohio's last 10 points to give the home squad a 35-31 advantage at the break. Burke, who had a game-high 14 points in the half, converted four straight layups in the period.
• Beacham held her own against Burke, finishing with a team-high 10 points and eight boards in the opening 20 minutes.
THIRD QUARTER
• The Bobcats stretched their lead to nine points, 44-35, on the strength of three-straight three-point fields goals in the first two minutes. Katie Barker was responsible for two of the triples, while Johnson accounted for the other.
• Toledo was quick to respond though, taking advantage of four field goals from Beacham to make the score 49-47 at the 4:15 mark. The 2019-20 team captain dominated the action in the paint, tallying a quartet of close-range shots to make it a one-possession contest.
• Unfortunately for the Rockets, Ohio ripped off the final 14 points to set the score at 63-47 heading into the final stanza. The Bobcats did all of their damage from beyond the arc, knocking down four-consecutive treys to push the margin to 16.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Toledo scored the first points in the fourth period on a free throw from Beacham, before Ohio put the game away with another 14-0 burst to extend the score to 77-48 with 5:01 left in regulation.
UP NEXT
• The Rockets will entertain Western Michigan (14-10, 7-6 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 22. The MAC West Division matchup is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be televised on ESPN3.
• Toledo and WMU will meet for the second time this season and 82nd overall. The Rockets suffered an 84-72 road setback against the Broncos on Jan. 4 in their MAC opener to snap an 11-game winning streak in the series.
• In conjunction with Saturday's game, Toledo will hold its 14th-annual 'Rockets for the Cure.' The contest will help benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Northwest Ohio and the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center.
• The Rockets have raised over $142,000 for this cause over the last decade. Toledo players will once again wear special pink uniforms for the game. Guest emcee Chrys Peterson and the Rockets will hold a live jersey auction immediately following the contest.
