ROCKETS POUND CLEVELAND STATE

Cleveland State (3-5), a veteran team with four returning starters from last season's 21-12 squad was 2-1 against Mid-American Conference teams this season, with wins over Western Michigan and Ohio, and a loss at the hands of Akron, so the Vikings couldn't be blamed if they came into Savage Arena with thoughts of a victory. What they got instead was an ambush.

“Coach Cullop told us going into this game to have the same intensity that we did against Green Bay,” said junior Forward Kyle Baumgartner Based on thir performance, the Rockets certainly got the message.

If you are on the winning end of one of these contests, this is called a “feel good' game: the starters feeling good that they will get plenty of rest on the bench; the reserves feeling good about getting plenty of quality minutes on the court; the coaching staff feeling good because they aren't pressed to come up with a last-minute winning strategy; and the fans feeling good because they can cheer for just about everyone. If you are on the losing side though, it's pretty much ”shut up and deal.”

Toledo spotted CSU the first basket of the contest before going on a 17-point offensive binge that buried the Vikings just five minutes into the half. The Rocket run was aided by UT's work on the defensive end as the Midnight Blue and Gold forced five turnovers that led directly to eight points

With the score 21-6, the Rocket offense shut down for a little over four minutes, but the defense never faltered, allowing Cleveland just two points while the point-production was temporarily spinning in neutral.

With 8:33 remaining, the Rockets re-ignited, out-scoring the Vikings 14-4 enroute to a 37-14 lead at the break..

Baumgartner stepped up big for Toledo in the opening period, recording 11 points in just nine minutes of action off the bench. Andola Dortch, directing the show from the perimeter, tallied nine points.

The Rockets shot just 36.8% for the half, but stood tall in other aspects of the game. The hustling defense forced Cleveland State into 15 first-half turnovers, and on the glass Toledo was dominant, out boarding the Vikings 27-15. Freshman Inma Zanoguera led both teams in rebounding, grabbing seven caroms, including four on the offensive end.

Early in the second half, with Toledo in command, 46-20, Cullop began to sit her starters who then watched as the reserves continued the assault until the final buzzer.

“It was especially nice to have a large enough lead to let all of our people get in," said Baumgartner. “It brings us closer together and it builds up their confidence, so when their time comes, regardless of the game, they'll be ready to go.”

Dortch led a quartet of Rockets in double figures with 13 point, but just as important the sophomore point guard got to rest her legs after 24 minutes. Dortch had been averaging just over 30 minutes a contest. Junior guard Riley McCormick finished with 12 points, all coming on three-pointers, and all in the second half. Baumgartner and Yolanda Richardson each tallied 11 points in limited action.

Cullop had to be heartened by the play of freshmen Stephanie Recker who clocked out with seven points and six rebounds while playing 18 minutes.That other freshman, Zanoguera, led the team with nine rebounds.  She also dished out a game-high four assists in 18 minutes.

In the second half, Toledo improved its shooting, nailing 17-of-31 attempts for 54.8%, including five triples. For the game UT shot 44.9%.

The Vikings had two players, Takima Keane and Destinee Blue, finish with 11 points. Shalonda Winton, a 5-11 junior forward had 14 rebounds to lead both teams in that category

Cleveland State was forced into 33 turnovers over the course of the game and Toledo scored 37 points off of those miscues. The Rockets also owned the paint, out scoring CSU 42-22, while the Toledo bench out scored the visitors, 43-9. And on the boards the Vikings were no match for the home team; as UT totaled 42 rebounds to 31 for Cleveland.

“I was very proud of our defensive intensity and our focus throughout the game,” said Tricia Cullop. “Against Green Bay, we had a five-minute mental lapse where we didn't play with intensity, and that cost us the game; we played 30 minutes of a forty-minute game. Today I challenged our players to play every game as if we were playing Green Bay, and that's the way we are going to play the rest of the season.

"I was really proud of the contributions we got from everyone on the bench. To see Riley McCormick come in and get us going with some nice three-point shooting, and to see Kyle Baumgartner score 11 points in the first half was great.  But also was the unselfish play of everyone on the team. When someone was open, we got them the ball and we were more disciplined, both offensively and defensively.”

Toledo (6-3) now has a one-game winning streak in Savage Arena and gets a breather until Sunday, December 18, when Wisconsin-Milwaukee comes to town for a visit.