Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Quinesha Lockett's buzzer-beating layup secured a come-from-behind victory for the Toledo women's basketball team on Friday, a 74-73 triumph vs. SMU.

This was the second-largest comeback win of the season after overcoming a 21-point deficit to defeat James Madison on Nov. 8. 

The Rockets trailed by 14 points at halftime and were behind by 17 points, 48-31, with 7:02 to go in the third quarter before their run started. UT outscored SMU, 28-15, in the third quarter to trim the deficit to 53-52 heading into the fourth.

Sammi Mikonowicz knocked down a three-pointer just 21 seconds into the fourth quarter to give Toledo a 55-53 lead. The Rockets led for a significant chunk of the fourth quarter but found themselves down 73-72 after a three-pointer by SMU's Tamia Jones with 4.9 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbound play, Lockett got the ball to Sophia Wiard, who handed the ball back off to Lockett. She managed to get to the hoop and get a shot off before the clock hit zeroes, clinching a thrilling comeback win.

"I thought at halftime we fixed a lot of the mistakes we were making in the first half," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "I thought Hannah Noveroske came out and scored some big points in the second half, she was out there blocking shots and scoring on the low block and changed the game. She infused the whole team with confidence. It was good to see some of our outside shots fall too. I'm so proud of how well we executed at the end in a tight situation. [Associate Head Coach] Jessie Ivey drew up a great play. Quinesha scored, but a lot of things had to happen for that shot to be open. I'm just incredibly proud of them."

Lockett led the way with 22 points, including 17 in the second half. Mikonowicz and Wiard scored 12 points and 10 points, respectively. Khera Goss added nine points and Hannah Noveroske scored eight second-half points.

Toledo will face North Dakota State on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET.

1^st Quarter

• SMU scored the first basket of the game, but Quinesha Lockett responded with a three-pointer to give Toledo a lead.
• A quick 6-0 run for the Mustangs put them ahead, 14-7, with 3:25 to go.
• The Rockets responded with six straight points of their own to trim the gap to one point, 14-13.
• SMU led at the end of the quarter, but Khera Goss scored in the closing seconds to make it 16-15.

2^nd Quarter

• The Mustangs opened the second quarter with six straight points to regain their seven-point lead, 22-15.
• Toledo went nearly six minutes with just one field goal from 7:01 to 1:06, and in the meantime, SMU opened up a 16-point lead, 38-22.
• Sammi Mikonowicz scored the final points of the first half to make it 38-24 heading into the break.

3^rd Quarter

• SMU's lead grew to a game-high 17 points, 48-31, at the 7:02 mark of the third quarter.
• On the next UT possession, Hannah Noveroske went up strong for two and sparked a momentum shift.
• An Emmi Rinat trey brought the Rockets within single-digits, 48-37, and with 1:30 to go in the quarter a three-point play for Lockett gave Toledo its first lead since early in the game, a 52-51 advantage.
• The Mustangs scored in the final seconds of the quarter to retake the lead and set the score at 53-52.

4^th Quarter

• Mikonowicz drilled a three just 21 seconds into the quarter to put Toledo ahead 55-53.
• The Rockets led for much of the fourth quarter and opened up a seven-point lead, 67-60, with 3:45 to play following a jumper from Wiard.
• The Mustangs stormed back in the final minutes and took the lead late in the game. A deflected shot bounced its way to an open Tamia Jones, whose three-pointer found nothing but net and gave SMU a 73-72 lead with just 4.9 seconds remaining.
• Facing their last opportunity, the Rockets drew up a play for Lockett who delivered with the game-winning layup.