Miami (OH) women’s basketball (28-6, 16-2) defeated Toledo (17-14, 9-9) 68-58 in dominant fashion in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament Championship at Rocket Arena in Cleveland Saturday, punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 and just the second time in program history.
“This tournament run puts a stamp on everything. We’re two-time champions now,” Miami head coach Glenn Box said.
Box transformed Miami’s program, winning the conference regular season and tournament championship two years after finishing 9-20 in his first season at Oxford.
“It’s been very difficult. It’s been hard, taking this program (to a championship), it’s one of the hardest things that I’ve personally ever done,” Box said.
The RedHawks exploded to start the game with an overwhelming blitz, stunning Toledo with a 16-0 run.
“Toledo, in the first (quarter), they didn’t know what hit them. They didn’t know what being in a championship game was like,” Box said. “We’ve been in a championship game for a month.”
The Rockets never led, falling in their second straight conference championship game.
“It makes me hungrier. It makes me more excited to get back to work and to bring home a championship for this community because they deserve it,” Toledo head coach Ginny Boggess said.
Toledo missed their first 10 shots—turning the ball over six times before their first point—with graduate student guard Patricia Anumgba missing her first six attempts before making her first shot 15 minutes into the game.
After averaging 24 points in the first two games of the tournament, Anumgba scored just two first-half points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field. However, she dominated in the second half, finishing with a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in her final game as a Rocket.
“I told coach G (Boggess) in the portal, ‘Power four schools are hitting me up,’ and I could’ve went anywhere. I told her, ‘I wanted to win a championship.’ I just feel like I failed,” Anumgba said in tears postgame. “But if you asked me if I could do it again in the recruiting process and pick somewhere else to go, I’d still choose Toledo over and over again.”
Junior guard Ella Weaver was the only other Rocket to score double-digits, tallying 10 points and six rebounds.
Camryn VandenBosch drilled an open 3-pointer in the corner to finally get Toledo on the board with 2:19 left in the first quarter.
Miami led 16-6 at the end of the first quarter after their overwhelming blitz held Toledo to 2-for-13 shooting from the field and forced eight turnovers.
“I think Toledo wasn’t really ready for it. They haven’t been in the position we’ve been in all year. We came out hot, we came out ready to go,” senior guard Amber Scalia, the MAC Tournament MVP, said. “Defense is our whole identity, and they just weren’t ready for it.”
Four RedHawks scored in double figures, as junior forward Amber Tretter led the way with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. Sophomore forward Ilse de Vries added 15 points and six rebounds, Scalia contributed 14 points, five rebounds and four steals, and sophomore guard Tamar Singer finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Scalia, Tretter and Singer were all named to the All-MAC Tournament team.
“Any given night, anyone can go for 20 (points). Everyone on this team has a role and it’s really important, and any given night, it’s anyone’s night,” Scalia said.
The RedHawks kept their foot on the gas, racing to a 10-0 run to begin the second quarter to lead by 20 points, 26-6.
Although Toledo ended the first half on a 6-0 run, Miami led 28-16 at the break, with Toledo turning the ball over 15 times and making just six shots from the field—shooting 22.7%.
The Rockets never quit, gaining momentum and blazing on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six points near the end of the third quarter, 42-36.
“We could have easily collapsed. That team was playing at a really, really high level. They were simply making plays, and they had become all of a sudden really difficult to stop,” Box said. “But when we needed to tighten the screws, we were able to tighten the screws on defense and on offense by simply making plays by execution.”
Toledo ultimately outscored Miami by two points in the second half.
“I think it just showed how much we really care for each other and wanted it for each other, and how tough we are,” Weaver said. “I think we’re a really great group, and I’m just very proud of each other. I think we really came together.”
As the Rockets were attempting to claw their way back, Anumgba briefly exited the game late in the fourth quarter after appearing to injure her right ankle, but quickly returned to finish the contest.
However, Toledo never got closer than five points in the final 20 minutes, as Miami held on down the stretch to secure the double-digit win.
“I was proud of our adjustments in the second half. I thought our players fought to the end, and I’m incredibly proud of this team, and I’m incredibly proud to be their coach,” Boggess said holding back tears. “I’ve never seen anything but champions in this group.”
The RedHawks now await their draw for their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 18 years. The bracket will be revealed Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
“I came here to win championships. I also came here to win in the tournament,” Box said. “When we walk into that tournament, we don’t care who we play, we will compete, we will be prepared and we’ll be ready to go.”
