Women's Basketball

No. 2 Toledo Uses Huge Second Half To Advance in MAC Tournament

Story Courtesy of Toledo Athletic Communications

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.

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.