CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sammi Mikonowicz and Nan Garcia combined for 34 points and keyed a furious second-half rally as the No. 2 seed Toledo women's basketball team defeated No. 7 seed Central Michigan, 76-58, in MAC Tournament Quarterfinal action at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Wednesday.
 
Trailing by 10 points midway through the third quarter, Toledo (23-7) went on a 24-6 splurge to take a 56-48 lead headed into the final 10 minutes. Mikonowicz hit the go-ahead bucket on a driving layup and Garcia hit back-to-back triples at the end of the run, staggering the Chippewas (14-17) and igniting the Rocket faithful in attendance. The Rockets then delivered the knockout blow by scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter and never looking back.
 
After shooting just 12-of-37 (32.4%) from the floor in the first half, the Rockets hit a sizzling 14-of-25 (56.0%) in the final 20 minutes. Toledo was even better from long range, hitting 13-of-23 (56.5%) from behind the arc, including 8-of-12 (66.7%) in the decisive second half. The 56.5% was a season-best from downtown.
 
Mikonowicz finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three steals, while Garcia added 16 points and six caroms.

Quoting Head Coach Ginny Boggess
"We knew it was going to be a battle of the boards today. I thought we did a great job of keeping them off the boards, and we were able to flow with pace and space. We shot it really well from three when we were connected and confident in our offense. (Sammi Mikonowicz and Nan Garcia) were a huge reason why we're still here."
 
Quoting Nan Garcia (on the defense in the second half)
"That's the intensity we have to have all game. And for me personally, and I'm sure Sammi would agree, I'm not ready to be done playing in a Toledo uniform."

Top Rocket Performers

• Sammi Mikonowicz – 18 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL
• Nan Garcia – 16 PTS, 6 REB, 4-of-6 3-PT FGs
• Khera Goss – 9 PTS, 3-of-4 from 3-PT FGs

How It Happened

• CMU held a 16-15 lead after the first quarter as the Rockets began the game by shooting just 6-19 (31.6%) from the floor in the opening 10 minutes.
• The Chippewas nudged their lead to 36-31 at halftime, taking as much as an eight-point lead in the second quarter. The Rockets forced 12 first-half turnovers but shot just 32.4%.
• After falling behind by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, the Rockets finished the period with a 24-6 run to take a 56-48 lead into the final quarter. Nan Garcia hit back-to-back three-pointers at the end of the run.
• Kendall Carruthers and Khera Goss hit three-pointers in an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter that gave Toledo a 64-48 lead that stood up the rest of the way.

Game Notes

• Toledo has now won five-straight MAC quarterfinal games going back to 2020 and is 8-4 all-time vs. CMU in league tournament play.
• Sammi Mikonowicz and Khera Goss each played in their 157^th career game, tying the Toledo record set by Sophia Wiard (2019-24).
• Toledo is now 11-2 in its last 13 games.
• Garcia tied her career high with four three-pointers, having also done so on Feb. 28, 2024 at Northern Illinois.
• The Rockets finished 3-0 for the season against Central Michigan, with today's victory adding to a 71-66 road win on Jan. 11 and an 80-70 home triumph on March 1. 

Up Next
Toledo will face the winner of the Buffalo-Bowling Green contest on Friday, 30 minutes following the Ball State-Kent State game which begins at 10:00 a.m.