AMHERST, N.Y. – Sophomore Kendall Carruthers knocked down the game-winning three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left to lift the Toledo women's basketball team to a 58-55 victory in front of 4,906 fans at Alumni Arena on Wednesday.
 
Carruthers' game-winner completed an effort where the Rockets (16-5, 8-3 MAC) took a lead of as much as 19 in the first half, not allowing the Bulls (19-3, 8-3 MAC) to take the lead after the opening minutes and then thwarting a Buffalo comeback. The Rockets won their fourth game in a row, their longest winning streak of the season, moves them into a tie for third with Buffalo.
 
"It was important for us to build up that lead in the first half," said Head Coach Ginny Boggess. "Buffalo is a great third-quarter team and we knew they were going to come out blazing. The fourth quarter became a possession basketball game and our toughness and leadership was instrumental down the stretch. We got stops in the fourth quarter and we switched up our defense when needed. I'm proud of the gritty performance on the road."
 
Top Rocket Performers

• Kendall Carruthers – 14 PTS, 7 REB, 4-of-9 FG, 4-of-5 3-point FGs
• Sammi Mikonowicz – 14 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 5-of-8 FG
• Nan Garcia – 11 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 4-of-8 FG

Top Buffalo Performer

• Chellia Watson – 28 PTS, 11-of-23 FG, 3 REB, 2 AST

First Quarter – Toledo 17, Buffalo 6

• The Rockets went on an early 7-0 run to take a 7-2 lead with 4:41 left in the quarter, with Nan Garcia supplying the final five points in the spree.
• A floater by Faith Fedd-Robinson and a three by Nan Garcia extended the lead to 12-4, followed by a Kendall Carruthers score and free throw to make things 15-4.
• Toledo's defense stifled Buffalo to a 3-of-17 shooting performance and tied a season best in conference games with the six points allowed in the quarter (3rd, at Akron, Jan. 4).
• Garcia led the Rockets with eight points in the period.

Second Quarter – Toledo 34, Buffalo 20

• Two triples from Sammi Mikonowicz and one from Khera Goss accounted for a 9-2 run and a 26-8 lead at the 7:30 mark.
• Toledo took its biggest lead of the half at the 4:45 mark, going up 32-13 on a Carruthers and-one.
• A 7-0 run cut Toledo's lead to 32-20, before Cadence Dykstra finished off the half with a layup in the final seconds.
• Mikonowicz led with six points in the quarter while five different Rockets found the scoresheet.

Third Quarter – Toledo 43, Buffalo 41

• Buffalo took the quarter by a 21-9 margin.
• After a long field goal drought, Carruthers' three put the Rockets up 38-25 with 5:55 left in the quarter.
• Buffalo responded with five-straight points to get within single digits, at 38-30 at the media timeout. Later, the Bulls scored seven-straight points to close within 39-37 at 1:51.
• The two teams traded scoring possessions the rest of the way, keeping the Rockets up by two.

Fourth Quarter – Toledo 58, Buffalo 55

• Jessica Cook's and-one restored the Rockets' lead at 48-45 with 7:57 left to play.
• Both teams then scored just two points in the next five minutes, keeping Toledo up 50-47 with under three to go.
• Buckets by Garcia and Mikonowicz established five-point leads, but Buffalo's Chellia Watson knocked down a three to cut Toledo's advantage to 54-52 with 31.5 seconds left to play.
• After Cook split a pair of free throws, Watson's three from the left side tied the game 55-55 with 12.2 seconds left.
• After taking a few seconds off the clock, Carruthers stepped back from beyond the arc and splashed the three with 5.2 seconds left to play.
• Terah Harness and Watson both had game-tying opportunities on Buffalo's final possession, but missed on both three-point attempts.

Game Notes

• The School Day Game attendance of 4,906 set an attendance record at Alumni Arena.
• Wednesday's contest marked the fourth-consecutive time Toledo and Buffalo played a game decided by four points or less.
• Toledo's defense held Buffalo to its lowest point total of the season.
• The Rockets dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Bulls by a 45-22 margin.

UP NEXT
Toledo finishes the road trip in the second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge, taking on Old Dominion on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tipoff from Chartway Arena is set for 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+.