Women's Basketball

No. 6 Rockets Take Down No. 3 UMass in Quarterfinals

Story Courtesy of Toledo Athletic Communications

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball came out firing, then held off a late rally to defeat UMass, 67-56, in MAC Tournament quarterfinal action at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Wednesday.

With the victory, the Rockets now advance to a semifinal matchup on Friday with No. 2 seed Ball State, which defeated No. 7 seed Bowling Green, 75-63.

Toledo was led by the backcourt trio of Patricia Anumgba, Ella Weaver and Kendall Carruthers, who combined for 51 points. Anumgba scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, while Carruthers made 3-of-4 three-pointers to finish with 16 points. Weaver dropped in four triples on her way to a 16-point performance.

The Rockets came out hot, jumping out to an early 16-4 lead that they extended to as many as 15 points in the first half. UMass fought back and tied the game in the fourth quarter but never took the lead. The Rockets outscored UMass, 9-2, down the stretch to seal the victory and advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals for the fifth consecutive year.

How It Happened
  • The Rockets came out firing, hitting seven of their first 10 shots to take a 16-4 lead midway through the first quarter.
  • Toledo led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter and took a 36-24 lead into halftime.
  • UMass rallied in the third quarter, riding a 10-0 run that pulled the Minutewomen to within four points, 42-38.
  • After UMass tied the score at 44, Ella Weaver hit a triple and Patricia Anumgba scored on a driving layup to give Toledo a 49-44 lead with 4:49 left.
  • Toledo made five free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.