ROCKETS TOP CENTRAL MICHIGAN IN THRILLER

Toledo was on the short end of a 20-7 score mid-way through the opening stanza before a 12-2 spurt brought the team to within three points of the Chips, 22-19 with 3:55 on the clock. Unfortunately, three points would be the closest UT would get to the visitors until well along into the second half.

Central Michigan certainly wasn't shooting lights out to claim its 30-22 lead at intermission Second-chance points and 13 Toledo turnovers combined to give the nod to the visitors before the break. Bradford had 15 points on 7-of-17 shooting in the first 20 minutes and the rest of the CMU players were a combined 5-of-20 from the floor.

Courtney Ingersoll and Lecretia Smith each tallied six points to lead the Rocket scoring in the first half. Smith also had nine boards and her play in the second half would be pivotal for Toledo.

One of the officials, David Stewart, was forced the leave the game with what appeared to be a ham-string injury three minutes before half-time and the remainder of the game was refereed by the two remaining members of the crew.

Toledo was guilty of some very sloppy play at the beginning of the second half, committing five unforced turnovers in the first four minutes, allowing Central Michigan to reclaim it's double digit lead. Speaking to those five turnovers and some of the first-half miscues, Cullop said, ” We just weren't cutting hard and we weren't zipping the ball. You can't get lazy around a team that's long, lean, and lanky because they will alter some passes, deflect some, then it's off to the races. In the second half we adapted to their length and athleticism a lot better. We just did a much better job of executing offensively.”

Sophomore forward Jordan LaDuke gave the Chips a 10 point, 35-25 lead with a traditional three-point play at the 16:01 mark, and Bradford made it a 37-25 lead on a jump shot just seconds later. A lesser team might have folded up the tent, but not Toledo, and certainly not on this Sunday.

First, Andola Dortch went on her own personal six-point run, scoring on a layup, a free throw, and a three-pointer to bring Toledo back within six points, 37-31, and take some of the steam out of the visitors. Two layups from Haylie Linn, another from Yolanda Richardson, and a pair a Linn free throws had the Rockets down by just a point, 43-42 with 7:58 remaining.

Central Michigan worked the lead back up to five points with 5:42 left on the clock, but the Rockets were up to the challenge. Smith, who was having her finest game as a Rocket, stood tall in the final minutes, twice driving to the basket for key layups, before Dortch connected on a pair of free throws to give Toledo a one point lead, 54-53, with 1:02 remaining.

On the Chippewa's ensuing possession, Toledo's Inma Zanoguera forced a turnover and UT had the ball with 49 ticks on the clock.

With 30 seconds remaining Smith found Linn open on the perimeter, passed her the ball, and the senior who had been having problems with her accuracy all season, calmly delivered a death-blow rainbow to ensure the win. Dortch finished out the scoring with a final free throw.

Bradford, who may just be the most talented freshman ever to play in the MAC had a game high 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Fellow freshman, Jessica Green scored 12 points but she was just 3-of-17 from the floor. As a team in the second half CMU shot just 28.1% (9-of-32) and finished the game shooting 30.4%.

Toledo was led in scoring by Dortch (14 points), Smith (13 points), and Linn (12 points). Smith was also a monster on the boards with 15 grabs. Ingersoll and Richardson each had nine points in the victory.

After being out-hustled on the glass, 26-22, in the first half, the Rockets rebounded (pun intended) to claim a 49-41 advantage for the game. “They were beating us on the boards at halftime,” said Smith. “Coach came in and said we've got to board and win this game by defense. We rebounded much better in the second half and got some defensive stops.”

“I was very proud of our players today, said Cullop. “Defensively they really gutted it out. At half time I challenged their intensity and they came out with something to prove. They got down in their stance and defended.” Defend they did: Central Michigan averages 72.6 points a game and the 53 points the Chippewas were held to is eclipsed only by 51 points the visitors put up against Hampton earlier in the season.

With Sunday's win, the Rockets even up their MAC record at 1-1, avoiding their first 0-2 conference start since the 2006-07 season.

The 12-point second-half deficit is the largest one the Rockets have had to overcome this year to claim a victory.

Toledo has another strong test coming up this Wednesday, January 11 when Eastern Michigan comes calling. Game time is 7:00 PM.