This afternoon, Toledo (23-7, 13-5) dispatched Buffalo (25-7, 13-5), 56-49 to set up a morning date with Ball State for the Mid-American Conference Championship tomorrow.
The defense set the tone for the first six minutes and 34 seconds, with the score knotted at 3-3 as both teams grappled offensively, combining for just two makes on 12 attempts.
Graduate student Sammi Mikonowicz and fifth-year guard Chelia Watson recorded the only field goals for their respective teams.
Through the waning minutes of the first, both offenses picked up, totaling 15 points to make it 11-10 Toledo after one.
Graduate student Nan Garcia led the charge for the Rockets, tallying five points, including a converted good old-fashioned three-point play.
The start of the second quarter was almost identical to the start of the first, both teams struggled to hit shots as the score stood 13-13 with four minutes left in the half.
At this point in the game, Toledo boasted a shooting percentage of 21.7% and Buffalo’s was 28.6%.
Following the media timeout, Watson dished out two assists and sank a buzzer-beater to push UB ahead 20 to 13 at the 15-minute intermission.
“I was just really happy that we kept our composure defensively and we only let them have 20 points,” Mikonowicz said postgame.
At that point, Toledo remained scoreless from beyond the arc, shooting 0-for-6, and racked up 16 turnovers. To make matters worse, they managed just two points in a dismal second quarter.
Buffalo closed the half shooting 2-for-5 from three-point range with nine giveaways.
Both teams came out of the locker rooms with a mission to score. By the first media timeout of the second half, the Rockets scored 10 to trim the deficit to 26-23 with five minutes left in the third.
The following moments were filled with quality, back and forth basketball. UT went on a seven to two run, spearheaded by Mikonowicz, to give Toledo its second lead of the game at 35-34 with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter. However, a late Kirsten Lewis-Williams made jumper put Buffalo back in front at 36-35 after three.
Over the next five minutes and 20 seconds, the Rockets stayed hot, knocking down four of seven shots in the quarter to give themselves a 44-40 lead. Ice-cold Buffalo had hit one of their last six at that point.
As the game neared its end, graduate student Khera Goss hit a ginormous three to make the tally 51-46 UT with 52 seconds left in regulation.
Key second half adjustments and late defensive stops led to Buffalo’s demise as Toledo held on for the victory.
The Rockets outscored the Bulls 43-29 in the second half and are now 20-0 this season when leading with five minutes left in regulation.
“I think we were really outside of ourselves in that first half,” Goss told the press. “We were able to calm down, focus and just do what we practice and do what we do every day.”
Toledo shot just over 48% from the floor in the second half. Buffalo shot just over 38%, including a 23.5 fourth-quarter shooting percentage.
Tipoff between the University of Toledo and Ball State University is scheduled for 11 a.m. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Kaden Knapp and Lucas Kleimeyer will call the game on Falcon Radio.
