Toledo Loses Heartbreaker to Washington State in WBIT Quarterfinals, 63-61

Thursday, March 28

Pullman, Wash.

9:00 p.m. (ET)

University of Toledo

28-6,17-1MAC

Washington State

21-14,7-11Pac-12

Toledo

Washington St.

Sammi Mikonowicz's 18 points led Toledo in its 63-61 loss to Washington State on Thursday.

Photo by: Bree Bee

Toledo Loses Heartbreaker to Washington State in WBIT Quarterfinals, 63-61

3/28/2024 11:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Rockets closes out 2023-24 season with 28-6 record

PULLMAN, Wash. – In a game that came down to the final play, the Toledo women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to Washington State, 63-61, in quarterfinal action of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) in Pullman, Wash. on Thursday night.

Toledo (28-6) led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter but Washington State (21-14) rallied in the final minutes, taking its only lead in the fourth quarter on a basket with 3.0 seconds left. The Rockets had one last shot to tie but Quinesha Lockett's driving layup bounced off the rim.

"The heart, desire and determination of our team right up to the very end was amazing," said Head Coach Tricia Cullop. "I couldn't ask for any more from them. More importantly, it has been a joy to coach these seniors. I love them dearly and I Iove this team. This team gave me everything it had all season long. It's sad it had to end like this, but I couldn't be more proud of how they performed here."

Toledo was led by senior wing Sammi Mikonowicz's 18 points and five rebounds. Senior center Hannah Noveroske added 18 points and five boards, and Lockett chipped in with 12.

The Rockets shot 27-of-58 (46.6%) from the floor but had a tough time handling WSU's size as the Cougars outrebounded UT 37-25.

Toledo led at halftime, 34-30, and scored the first six points of the second half to go up 40-30. But the Cougars clawed back to take a one-point lead 49-48 late in the third quarter. The Rockets counter-punched in the fourth quarter and took a 61-57 lead on a Noveroske bucket with 3:27 left. Unfortunately, Toledo did not score again.

1^st Quarter

Washington State jumped out to a 10-5 lead until a Sammi Mikonowicz jumper capped a 7-2 rally to tie the score at 12-12 with 1:56 left in the quarter.
WSU was up 16-12 when Khera Goss nailed a 15-foot buzzer beater to trim the deficit to two points at the quarter break

2^nd Quarter

WSU led by as many as four points and held a 24-21 edge when Hannah Noveroske scored four buckets in a row to knot the score at 27-27 with 2:48 left.
Toledo finished the quarter with a three-pointer by Emmi Rinat and a layup by Quinesha Lockett with 18 seconds left to give the Rockets a 34-30 halftime edge.
Lockett had 12 first-half points and Noveroske added eight.
Toledo shot 15-of-36 (41.4%) from the floor while WSU made 13-of-30 (43.3%).
WSU held a 23-16 rebounding edge but committed eight turnovers to just two for UT.

3^rd Quarter

Sophia Wiard converted a three-point play and Mikonowicz drilled a triple to open the quarter, making the score 40-30 and forcing WSU to call a timeout with 8:46 left.
The Cougars countered with a 19-8 run that gave them a 49-48 lead with under a minute to play in third quarter.
Mikonowicz nailed another three to put Toledo up 51-49 headed into the final 10 minutes.

4^th Quarter

Jessica Cook and Nan Garcia hit consecutive shots to put Toledo up by four, 55-51.
WSU cut the lead to two but Noveroske made an inside shot to give UT a 61-57 edge with 3:27 left.
After WSU cut the lead to 61-59 on the next possession, neither team scored for the next two-plus minutes.
WSU's Beonce Bea hit a jumper with 48 seconds left to tie the score at 61-61.
Following a Toledo turnover, WSU's Bella Murekatete hit a 15-footer to give the Cougars a 63-61 lead.
Toledo set up a play for Lockett but her driving shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer.