Rockets Close Out Regular Season with 74-61 Win over WMU

Saturday, March 5

Toledo, Ohio

2:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

25-4,19-1MAC

Western Michigan

16-13,10-10MAC

Western Mich.

Toledo

The Rockets celebrate their 11th straight win, a 74-61 victory over Western Michigan in the regular season finale on Saturday.

Photo by: Madison Cozzens

Rockets Close Out Regular Season with 74-61 Win over WMU

3/5/2022 5:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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TOLEDO, Ohio – The first-place Toledo women's basketball team ended its regular season on Saturday at home with a 74-61 win over Western Michigan.

The 2022 MAC Tournament bracket is now set. Toledo will face No. 8 Ohio in the first round of the MAC Tournament on Wednesday, March 9 at 11:00 a.m. Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the MAC Tournament can visit utrockets.com/MACTournament for more information.

Having already clinched a MAC Regular Season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, the Rockets' (25-4, 19-1 MAC) victory on Saturday set a new MAC record for most conference wins in a season. The previous record was 18 by Central Michigan (1983-84) and Kent State (1997-98).

Toledo has now reached the 25-win plateau for the 12^th time in program history and the first time since the 2016-17 season.

"We knew today would be a fight," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "I was really proud of how well we shared the ball today. It was great to see so many players score in double figures, or be close to double figures. I thought we did a great job on the boards as well. We could have done a better job taking care of the basketball, but you have to give credit to Western Michigan's defense as well. I thought it was a good game to help us fine-tune some things before we head to Cleveland."

Prior to the game, Toledo honored two student-athletes and one manager during its Senior Day presentation. Seniors Mariah Copeland and Lexi Lance as well as student manager Jakob Stober were honored before the game for their contributions to Toledo Women's Basketball.

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Thank you @mcope99, @LexiLance13, and @jakobstober28 for everything you have done for Toledo Women's Basketball! pic.twitter.com/a9NQaQTzl9
— Toledo Women's Basketball (@ToledoWBB) March 5, 2022

The Rockets held a 32-31 lead heading into halftime, but used a 13-5 run in the middle of the third quarter to pull away. UT's lead grew to double digits in the fourth quarter and settled at 13 when the final horn sounded.

Several players contributed to Toledo's win on Saturday. Sophomore Sammi Mikonowicz was the leading scorer, pacing the team with 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Junior Quinesha Lockett added 15 points and senior Jayda Jansen scored 12 points off the bench. Sophomore Khera Goss also reached double figures in the points column, scoring 11 to help the cause.

Freshman Jessica Cook scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds against WMU, and junior Sophia Wiard scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds, and led UT with six assists.

Both teams shot near the 45 percent benchmark, with Toledo (23-for-49) connecting on 46.9 percent of its shots and Western Michigan making 23-of-52 field goals, good for 44.2 percent.

WMU was led by Taylor Williams and Reilly Jacobson, who scored 17 and 12 points, respectively. Both players were unable to contribute down the stretch though as they both fouled out in the fourth quarter.

1^st Quarter

Western Michigan scored the first five points of the day to take an early lead.
Toledo answered with an 11-2 run to take a four-point lead, 11-7, with 3:54 left in the quarter.
The Broncos wrestled the lead back and took a slim two-point advantage, 17-15, into the second quarter.

2^nd Quarter

Goss opened the second stanza with a three-pointer to reclaim the lead for Toledo, 18-17
Williams answered with a layup on the next WMU possession to give her team the lead back. The Broncos fought back to tie the score three times in the second quarter, but the Rockets never fully relinquished the lead.
Mikonowicz knocked down a three-pointer with 1:13 to play to put Toledo ahead by three, and WMU's Sydney Shafer scored in the closing seconds to put the score at 32-31 in favor of UT heading into halftime.

3rd Quarter

Western Michigan's Williams scored early in the third quarter to give her team a 33-32 lead.
Jacobson's three-pointer with 6:42 to go in the quarter gave the Broncos the lead, 39-38, but it would be their final lead of the game.
Toledo answered with eight straight points to take a seven-point lead, 46-39.
Jansen single-handedly kept the Rockets out in front near the end of the quarter. She scored 10 straight Toledo points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to help her team take a 56-48 lead into the final frame.

4^th Quarter

The Rockets scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take a 15-point lead, its largest of the game.
Western Michigan continued to chip away and got as close as eight, 69-61, with 2:37 to play.
Toledo wouldn't allow another point for the remainder of the game. Mikonowicz and Wiard made free throws down the stretch to keep the game out of reach and secure the 11^th straight win for the Midnight Blue and Gold.