March 13, 2009
Final Stats
CLEVELAND, Ohio-Toledo's Tanika Mays and Jessica Williams combined for 46 of the team's 77 points as the Rockets knocked the Bobcats out of the Mid-American Conference Quarterfinals Friday morning at Quicken Loans Arena, 77-70.
Toledo, the second seed in the MAC West, improved to 18-12 overall, while Ohio, the third seed in the MAC East, dropped to 13-18. Toledo advanced to Saturday's Semifinal matchup with the winner of Friday's Bowling Green-Central Michigan contest.
Mays recorded a career-high 23 points, with a season-high nine field goals. Williams also tallied 23, and connected on a career-high seven of her eight 3-point attempts. Allie Clifton also tied a season-high with 10 rebounds, while Naama Shafir had 12 points and six assists.
Ohio was led once again by senior forward Lauren Hmiel's career-high 25 points (7-7 FT) and nine rebounds. She also tied her career-high in field goals with nine, a total she registered in Wednesday's first round win over Western Michigan. Sophomore forward Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) had 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, while freshman guard Da'Keisha Mann (Columbus, Ohio) had 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high four steals.
The Bobcats registered a season-high 14 steals in the contest, but shot a season-low from 3-point range (1-13, 7.5 percent).
Hmiel scored led all scorers with 13 points (5-5 FT) and five rebounds in the first half.
Williams led the Rockets with nine first-half points, making three of her first four 3-point attempts. Naama also put up eight points, four rebounds and five assists in the game's first stanza. Clifton snared five first-half boards.
Toledo made 14 of its 25 first-half field goal attempts (56.0 percent), while neither team missed a free throw. The Bobcats made all of their free throws, while the Rockets connected on four. Neither team took particularly good care of the ball as both squads combined for 26 first-half turnovers.
Ohio roared to life in the second half as it put together a 17-5 run to take its only lead of the game at 43-42 on a jumper by junior guard Jennifer Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) with 13:48 remaining. The game would be tied four more times before a free throw by Toledo's Melissa Goodall gave the Rockets a 64-56 lead with 5:56 left. However, the Bobcats fought right back to tie the affair once again with an 8-0 run over the next 48 seconds when Buckner put in a three-point play, Hmiel connected on a jumper and Poff drilled a 3-pointer from left corner. The Rockets then hit six of their last seven free throws down the stretch to pull away at the end.
Ohio junior guard Jenny Poff (Detroit, Mich.) tied Cathy Szall (2001-02) for second on Ohio's single-season list for 3-pointers with 69.
