CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team stayed close for three quarters in the championship game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament but came up short in the final 10 minutes in a 65-58 loss to No. 1 seed Ball State (27-7) at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Saturday.
No. 2 seed Toledo (24-8) led at halftime, 24-21, and trailed by just three after three quarters but was out-scored 22-18 in the fourth quarter. Sophomore
Kendall Carruthers led the Rockets with 17 points. Graduate students
Sammi Mikonowicz (12) and
Khera Goss (11) also scored in double figures.
Mikonowicz and Goss were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
Quoting Head Coach Ginny Boggess
"I'm so proud of our entire roster and how far we came as a team this year. I'm really excited that because of our work in the regular season, this won't be the last time these two (Mikonowicz and Goss) wear this jersey."
Quoting Sammi Mikonowicz (on making it to the Championship Game)
"We expected to be here. Nobody else did. Every single one of us in that locker room expected to be in this position."
Top Rocket Performers
How It Happened
- The contest was deadlocked at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, as the Rockets kept pace thanks to three-pointers by Kendall Carruthers and Khera Goss..
- The Rockets out-scored Ball State 10-7 at halftime and held a 24-21 edge at the break. Both teams shot below 40% from the floor in the half, but Toledo was 4-of-9 from three-point range while the Cardinals were 0-of-6. Goss and Carruthers each hit a pair of triples for UT.
- The Rockets held the advantage for much of the third quarter, but Ball State scored the final seven points of the period to take a 43-40 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
- The Cardinals opened the final period with an 11-2 run that gave them a 54-42 edge. The closest Toledo could get the rest of the way was seven points in the final minute of the contest.
Game Notes
- Saturday was Toledo's 16th appearance in the MAC Tournament title game, where UT now holds a record of 9-7.
Up Next
Toledo will find out tomorrow night if it will receive a berth into the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBIT).