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Quinesha Lockett vs. Buffalo
Haley Boehm
Quinesha Lockett scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Toledo's 77-74 overtime loss to Buffalo on Friday.
77
Winner Buffalo UB 19-12,10-8 MAC
74
Toledo UT 26-5,17-1 MAC
Winner
Buffalo UB
19-12,10-8 MAC
77
Final
74
Toledo UT
26-5,17-1 MAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 F
Buffalo UB 19 14 20 14 10 77
Toledo UT 13 12 13 29 7 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Toledo Comeback Comes Up Short in Overtime Loss to Buffalo, 77-74

Rockets rally from 16 points down but lose in overtime in MAC Tournament semifinals

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team nearly pulled off a historic comeback before losing in overtime to Buffalo, 77-74, in semifinal action of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Friday.
 
The Rockets trailed by 16 points midway through the third quarter but put on a full-court press that sparked a 14-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter that tied the score at 55-55 with 5:29 remaining. Toledo had a chance to win in regulation, but senior Sammi Mikonowicz's shot in the paint came up short.
 
No. 1 seed Toledo never led in overtime and trailed 76-72 when an inside bucket by fifth-year senior Quinesha Lockett cut the lead to two points with nine seconds left. Following a Buffalo free throw, Lockett's three-point attempt was off the mark, ending the Rockets' dreams of winning a second straight MAC Tournament title.

The loss snapped Toledo's 14-game winning streak, the fifth-longest in school history. Buffalo (19-12) advances to the MAC Championship Game and will play the winner of the Ball State-Kent State game.
 
"I can't fault the effort of our kids," said Head Coach Tricia Cullop. "I wish with everything in my soul that we were still playing because I love this group. But today wasn't our day."
 
Mikonowicz led the Rockets with 19 points, followed by Lockett (18 points) and senior Khera Goss (14 points). Mikonowicz, Lockett and fifth-year senior Sophia Wiard each had 10 rebounds apiece. Buffalo was led by senior Chellia Watson's 30 points.
 
Toledo shot 40.6% (28-of-69) from the floor, including 24.0% (6-of-25) from three-point range. The Bulls, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, were 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the field and 11-of-22 from behind the three-point arc.
 
"I thought our press did an amazing job of getting us back in the game. Unfortunately, shots that have been falling for us during this winning stretch just weren't falling today," said Cullop. "Credit to their defense, but I thought we had looks we normally hit. They just weren't going down. Not everything you see on the stats sheet is the game. If you judged heart and soul, I give our team an A+. They played their tails off trying to compete in this game."
 
Toledo, which now has a 26-5 record, will have to wait to Sunday night to find out if it has a post-season berth in either the NCAA Tournament or the WBIT.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st Quarter
  • Buffalo jumped out to a 9-0 lead as Toledo missed its first four shots.
  • Sammi Mikonowicz scored seven points in a 9-2 Toledo run to tie the score 11-11 at the 2:34 mark.
  • The Bulls' Chellia Watson hit a pair of three-pointers to put Buffalo up 19-13 at the quarter break.
  • Toledo made just 4-of-13 shots from the field but forced six Bulls' turnovers.
2nd Quarter
  •  Buffalo scored the first five points of the quarter to extend its lead to 24-13.
  • Mikonowicz and Khera Goss hit three-pointers in a 10-4 Toledo run that cut the lead to 29-23 with three minutes left in the half.
  • A Buffalo three-pointer with 28 seconds left extended the Bulls' lead to 33-23. Mikonowicz hit a layup at the buzzer to make it 33-25 heading into the locker rooms.
  • Toledo made just 9-of-28 (32.1%) from the field in the first half. Mikonowicz led the way with 12 points.
3rd Quarter
  •  Watson scored eight points, including back-to-back triples, as Buffalo opened the second half with a 12-4 run to widen the lead to 45-29 midway through the third quarter.
  • Soleil Barnes scored five points in a 7-0 Toledo run that cut the lead to 45-36 with 3:26 left in the quarter.
  • Buffalo outscored the Rockets 8-2 in the final two minutes to take a 53-38 lead into the final 10 minutes.
4th Quarter
  • Toledo put a full-court press on the Bulls in the fourth quarter, forcing five Buffalo turnovers in a 14-0 Rocket run in the first five minutes that evened the score 55-55.
  • After Buffalo regained the lead, Goss made a three-pointer and a layup to give UT a 67-64 advantage with 1:08 left.
  • Moments later, Watson nailed a three for Buffalo to tie the score at 67-67.
  • After Buffalo missed on two attempts to add to its lead, Toledo had a chance to win but Mikonowicz's shot in the paint fell short, forcing overtime.
 Overtime
  • Buffalo jumped out to three-point lead on a three-pointer by Hattie Ogden.
  • Toledo tied the score at 72-72 on a pair of Lockett free throws with 1:32 left.
  • Buffalo answered with a bucket and a pair of free throws to go up 76-72 with 23 seconds left.
  • Lockett cut the lead to two with a drive with nine ticks on the clock.
  • Ogden made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 77-74.
  • Toledo had a chance to send the game into a second overtime but Lockett's three-point attempt hit the rim.
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