WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: A LOOK BACK AT A VERY MEMORABLE SEASON WITH A TRULY INCREDIBLE FINISH

While the story of the Toledo Rockets’ final six games of the 2010-11 season doesn't quite match the tale of the mythological phoenix rising from the ashes, the substance of the team’s remarkable exploits in the post-season Women’s National Invitation Tournament is the stuff that would do any “feel good” movie script proud.

But this Toledo success story begins long before junior point guard Naama Shafir led a determined group of Rockets to the WNIT crown with a 76-68 win over the Southern California Trojans on April 2, 2011.

It all started last summer when the team members, veterans as well as incoming players, came together on campus to participate in a myriad of grueling physical conditioning exercises that often required the women to be up and out before sunrise. Then there were the afternoon open-gym sessions on the Savage Arena floor, or in the Fetterman Complex. And when those venues weren't available, there would be a trip to a neighboring high school gym to have the workout. Through it all, there was never a lack of determination on the part of the Toledo women to prepare them for a serious run at the MAC Championship.

Organized team practice under the guise of Tricia Cullop and her staff began in early October, the 4^th to be exact, two weeks earlier than most other college teams, because the Rockets had been chosen to participate in the preseason WNIT. Along with the opening of practice came the naming of team captains: By a vote of the team members, seniors Melissa Goodall and Jessica Williams were elected to be the team leaders along with junior Courtney Ingersoll.

After four weeks on intense practices that included scrimmaging against a hand-picked group of UT male students that served as a scout team (the loyal opposition), the Rockets were ready for that preseason WNIT game, but first up was a home exhibition game against the University of Alaska-Anchorage, a highly ranked Division-II team.

In a rare Thursday evening tilt, Toledo led wire to wire against the cold-shooting visitors from the Yukon before, ultimately, posting a 63-37 win. Although it was an easy win, the Rockets showed that there were some areas of the their game that needed to be worked on; such as rebounding, foul shooting, and protecting the ball.

THE PRESEASON WNIT

On Nov.12, Toledo laced up the gloves for the opening game of the tournament against St. Francis of Pennsylvania. This was a game that saw the Rockets fight back from an 11-point first-half deficit; grab a lead in the first five minutes of the second period; and finally hold off a last-ditch effort by the Red Flash to secure a 71-66 win. A 15-for-17 effort at the free-throw proved to be the key to victory for Toledo. * St. France would go on to post a 22-12 record and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Rockets had to take their show on the road for the next tournament game and the destination was Mackey Arena on the campus of Purdue University, Tricia Cullop’s alma mater. Toledo eventually came up on the short end of a 79-66 score but showed they could hang with a big girl, leading the much taller and bulkier Boilermakers for almost three-quarters of the contest before turnovers and some missed shots took their toll. Purdue took advantage of 17 Toledo turnovers to score 19 points. Naama Shafir had a game-high 23 points and junior Haylie Lynn made the most out of her 16 minutes on the court where she tallied 10 markers. * Purdue ultimately won the WNIT crown and finished its season with a 21-12 record, good enough to make it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

For the third game of the tournament, Toledo returned to the friendly confines of Savage Arena to face Missouri Sate University on Nov.20. The Rockets trailed by 13 points, 42-29, at the half before mounting a comeback that saw them grab a 50-46 lead, only to watch it slip away in a 73-69 setback. Four Rockets scored in double figures but it just wasn’t enough to overcome a 32-point effort by MSU’s Casey Garrison, one of the most talented visiting players to perform on Nichols Court over the season. * Missouri State went on to record a 24-11 record and, like Toledo, was chosen to participate in the postseason WNIT.

THE OUT OF CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

After posting a 1-2 record in the tournament, the Rockets were ready to tackle their preconference schedule which began with five consecutive road contests. First up was a Nov.23 game against Cleveland State. The Vikings took the measure of the Rockets by the score of 58-50  Toledo shot 36.8 percent for the game, a figure that included just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc, and just 50 percent from the free throw line. UT also came out on the short end of the rebounding battle: 42-36. On a high note for Tricia Cullop and her staff was a 10-point effort from redshirt freshman guard Andola Dortch who got her very first start. * Cleveland State finished its season with a 21-12 record and played in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.

Following the Cleveland State loss, Toledo traveled to New Rochelle, NY where the team participated in the Iona Thanksgiving Classic on Nov.27 and 28, taking the measure of Maryland-Baltimore County, 77-72, and host Iona, 68-60. In the UMBC game Toledo was 11-of-26 from out beyond the line; Jessica Williams buried 6-of-10 from long distance to lead the UT scoring with 24 points. Sophomore Lecretia Smith reached double figures in both games and nabbed a double-double in the Iona game with 13 points and 10 rebounds. For her efforts Smith was named MVP of the tournament.

* UMBC ended its season with a 21-12 record and an invite to the WNIT.

* Iona ended its season with an 11-20 record.

 Next on the trip ticket was a journey to Jersey City, NJ for a game with St. Peters on Nov.30. This one was no contest from the opening tip as the visitors lead wire in a 61-33 rout. Toledo held St. Peters to just eight points in the first half and to 11 field goals for the game. It wasn’t all “peaches and cream” for the victors however, as UT shot just 10-of-21 from the charity stripe and committed 27 turnovers. The Peahens, who completed their season with a 6-25 record, were the weakest team on Toledo’s 2010-11 schedule. St. Peters competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the Rockets have never lost a game to a member of that conference (10-0).

Feeling a bit more confident after taking three of four games on the road, Toledo (4-4) headed down I-75 to tackle the Dayton Flyers, a team the Rockets had upset, 28-56, at Savage Arena back on Dec. 9, 2009. It was a game that the nationally ranked Flyers (20AP) led by as many as 19 points before coming apart in the final seven minutes to give UT the win. Cullop’s Crew knew that this was going to be one tough battle, but they never expected the Texas Chain Saw Massacre that awaited them in UD Arena. When the final horn sounded to end this one it was 102-69 in favor of Dayton. It was just an old-fashioned beat down and Toledo was powerless to prevent it. For the game the Flyers shot almost 60 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from out on the perimeter. * Dayton had a 21-12 season and was a first round participant in the NCAA Tournament.

Toledo, 4-5 on the season, definitely needed some Savage Arena love a help the team get back to its winning ways and the team was about to get it with Oakland University coming to town on Dec.10. A total of 2,484 fans came out to watch the Rockets post a convincing 84-36 win over the Golden Grizzlies. This game was a defensive gem as UT held Oakland to just 22 percent shooting on the evening. Starters Melissa Goodall, Naama Shafir, Jessica Williams all produced double-digit scoring for Toledo, as did Andola Dortch off the bench. The Rockets were 12-of-17 at the free-throw line and brought their turnovers down to 15 for the contest. * Oakland produced a 20-12 record over the season.

Toledo’s 10^th opponent was the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big-10, a team that had defeated the Rockets the previous year, 73-63, in Bloomington, IN. The Dec.12, Sunday afternoon contest brought out 2,981 fans who braved snowy conditions to see if UT could even the score against a team that featured a genuine All-America candidate in senior guard Jori Davis who was averaging 19.5 points an outing. The Rockets did it the hard way, coming back from being on the short end of a 31-18 halftime score, but win it they did, 56-52, with a gritty never-say-quit performance. Melissa Goodall dropped in a pair of free-throws with just four seconds remaining in the second half to put the game out of reach for the visitors. Goodall, Naama Shafir, and Jessica Williams each totaled 13 points to lead Toledo in the victory. The real difference-maker for the Rockets however, was Courtney Ingersoll who finished with eight points and a career-high seven steals. Davis, the All-America hopeful, was held to nine points and committed 11 turnovers. * Indiana finished the campaign with a 9-20 mark.

One week later on Dec.19, the venue was again Savage Arena as the Rockets (6-4) eked out a 63-59 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a spunky team out of the Horizon League. Toledo led by as many as 18 points in the second half, 42-26, before the Panthers came roaring back to take a 59-58 lead with just 52 seconds to play. Three very late foul shots by Naama Shafir and Jess Williams, and a final buzzer berating tip-in by Melissa Goodall of Williams’ second charity toss finally sealed a 63-59 win. Williams had 19 points in the win followed by 11 points from Lecretia Smith and 10 from Shafir. UWM had 21 turnovers to 16 for Toledo. The Rockets also recorded 11 steals. * The Panthers ended 2010-11 with a 12-18 mark.

Toledo (7-4) took to the highway to play its final game of 2010. The destination was Evanston, IL where a second Big-10 team, Northwestern, was waiting to test the MAC preseason favorite and the date was Dec.22. A 10-0 Northwestern run right off the opening tip proved to be the difference in the contest as the talented Wildcats walked off the court with a 70-60 win. Northwestern increased its margin over UT to as many as 20 points in the second half before the Midnight Blue and Gold rallied to twice cut the lead to nine points, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Poor shooting and rebounding proved to be Toledo’s demise. * Northwestern completed a 19-14 season and accepted an invitation to the WNIT. The Wildcats were eliminated from contention after suffering a 72-70 home loss to Alabama, a team that Toledo would dominate in its run for the WNIT crown.

The Rockets (7-5) welcomed in 2011 by playing their final non-conference game on New Years Day against the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota. Despite a noon start time, 2,311 fans passed through the turnstiles of Savage Arena to catch Toledo’s final tune up before the real season – the conference games – began. UT quickly sprinted out to a 17-5 lead and never had to look in the rear-view mirror against UND. Toledo led by as many as 19 points in the first half and duplicated the feat late in the second half before walking off the court with a 71-55 win. Melissa Goodall’s 25 points led both teams in scoring and Yolanda Richardson showed everyone that she came to play, finishing with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double. Jessica Williams chipped in with 14 points. For the first time in her Toledo career, Naama Shafir failed to score a point in a contest. The Rocket defense forced the visitors into 25 turnovers that led directly to 29 points for the winners. Also significant was Toledo domination on the glass, out rebounding North Dakota: 49-31. * North Dakota finished the season with a 15-16 record.

So Toledo finished its non-conference schedule with an 8-5 record and began preparing for a run at the MAC title and the post season conference championship, a pair of goals the team barely missed attaining in 2009-10. The real season was about to begin.

THE CONFERENCE GAMES

First up for the Midnight Blue and Gold was a visit from MAC West Division rival Ball State on Jan. 5, 2011. The Cardinals were 5-8 in their non-conference games but had a game changer in senior forward Emily Maggert, a prolific scorer and a tenacious rebounder. Surprisingly, the Rockets won this game in a minor rout, 63-46. Defense was the key to Toledo’s strong performance as Trica Cullop’s players limited the visitors to 16 field goals on the evening. The Rocket defenders also forced Ball State into 27 turnovers for the game while recording 15 steals. Melissa Goodall and Naama Shafir each netted 14 points for Toledo in the victory. Maggert collected 18 points for the Cardinals but she got no help from her teammates.

* Toledo’s record: 9-5, 1-0 MAC.

Conference game #2 saw Toledo traveling to Kalamazoo to take on Western Michigan. The Broncos entered the game with a 4-10 record but usually play well on their home court and one of their key players, Miame Giden, was returning to the lineup after missing the entire non-conference season with an injury. Western Michigan proved to be a worthy foe. After an early 4-2 lead, Toledo ceded the lead to WMU and played from behind until Naama Shafir scored with just 5 seconds remaining to knot the score at 55 and send the contest into overtime. The Rockets won the overtime period 8-5 to claim a very hard fought 63-60 win. After being relatively quiet offensively for several games Shafir went off on Western Michigan for 27 points and UT needed every one of those points. Toledo was also getting better at protecting the ball registering 15 turnovers while forcing the Broncos into 27 miscues.

* Toledo’s record: 10-5, 2-0 MAC.

The Rockets returned to Toledo for their third conference game Jan.12, and Northern Illinois would provide the opposition. In a game that Rocket mentor Tricia Cullop called. “a defensive juggernaut” Toledo prevailed, 42-31. UT scored just 16 baskets in the game but held the Huskies to 12 baskets. Senior Marke Freeman can score points in bunches but on this night Andola Dortch held the NIU point guard to just nine points and totally shut her down in the second half. Naana Shafir had a game-high 12 points to lead the Toledo cause. Northern Illinois might have challenged the Rockets throughout the game, but a 3-for-14 performance at the charity stripe proved to be Achilles Heel for the Huskies.

* Toledo’s record: 11-5, 3-0 MAC.

Saturday, Jan. 15 saw the Rockets heading up US23 to Ypsilanti, MI for an important divisional game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (10-6, 2-1 MAC), a team also having serious title aspirations. Toledo would be without the services of starting forward Lecretia Smith who was out indefinitely with a concussion. After spotting the Eagles an early 7-0 lead the blue and gold clad Rockets came alive to play probably their most complete game to date. When the final horn sounded, Toledo had an impressive 72-56 victory and Coach Cullop needed a bushel full of “Atta Girls” to pass out to her players: Jessica Williams was 5-of-8 on the day from three-point land and led all scores with 17 points; both Yolanda Richardson (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Melissa Goodall (12 points, 14 rebounds) recorded a pair of double-doubles; freshman Janelle Reed-Lewis came off the bench to score 10 points in 13 minutes of playing time; and Andola Dortch, getting her second start of the season, responded with 11 points. Dortch also did a superb defensive job on Eastern Michigan’s all-conference player, Tavelyn James, who had been averaging 17.5 points entering the contest. James, who had lit the Rockets up for 30 and 40 points in the last two prior meetings between the schools, finished with 13 points, but eight of her total came on transition baskets.

* Toledo’s record: 12-5, 4-0 MAC.

Toledo’s last opponent in the West before entering the East Division cross-over games was Central Michigan (11-5, 3-1 MAC) and the game would be played on Jan.19, at the Chippewa’s newly-revamped facility: McGuick Arena.  In a contest eerily reminiscent of the recent overtime game at Western Michigan, but with conditions totally reversed, the Rockets led for just about the entire game before relinquishing the lead to CMU in the final 40 seconds and ultimately suffering their first conference loss, 78-74. Freshman forward Taylor Johnson was the hero for Central Michigan with 28 points on the evening and she was also responsible for five of the winner’s final six points to claim the win. Naama Shafir had 28 points for Toledo, and Melissa Goodall garnered yet another double-double, but the well went dry for the UT shooters in the final five minutes, allowing CMU to have a victory celebration.

* Toledo’s record: 12-6, 4-1 MAC.

It was a bitterly cold Saturday, Jan.22, but the Rockets were hoping to heat up Savage Arena as the opening act of a double header. The East Division Buffalo Bulls (9-9, 2-3 MAC) were in town to test the West Division leaders and they brought along the team’s all-conference center, Kourtney Brown, a player with a history of personal success against Toledo. The Rockets had Lecretia Smith back in uniform for the game and she would play for the first time since being injured against Northern Illinois.  It quickly became apparent that the Rockets were feeling no ill effects from that very tough loss at Central Michigan as they dictated the tempo of play in forging a 40-16 lead at the half.

The home team continued its assault into the final period, leading by as many as 30 points, 56-26, with 11 minutes to play, before Tricia Cullop began making wholesale substitutions. With the Toledo starters resting on the bench Buffalo was able to cut the margin to 67-53, the final score. Naama Shafir, Melissa Goodall and Jessica Williams all hit double figures for the winners, with Shafir also dishing out seven assists. Brown had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulls; however, she had just two points and three rebounds in the first half when Toledo was piling up the bulk of its points. The game attracted 3,254 fans, the largest crowd of the season at the time.

* Toledo’s Record: 13-6, 5-1 MAC

Wednesday, Jan. 26, will be long remembered as the evening when Toledo exorcised a major demon down at venerable Harold Anderson Arena when the Rockets whipped arch-rival Bowling Green, 66-65, to remain tied with Kent State atop the MAC standings. BG’s basketball venue, named for a successful coach at the University of Toledo who later had greater success at BGSU, was known as the “House that Roars” to falcon fans. Recently; however, it had become a house of horrors for the Rockets who had not tasted victory on this floor since 1999.

So this win was very special, not only because it snapped an 11-year losing streak but because it was also the final game at the old gym between the two teams; a new facility was under construction. Naama Shafir (21 points), Melissa Goodall (15 points), and Jessica Williams (11 points) provided the lion’s share of the scoring, but the win was a total team effort with Lecretia Smith, Courtney Ingersoll, and Yolanda Richardson all contributing key baskets or grabbing a rebound at the most opportune time.

Then there was Andola Dortch; the freshman defensive gem. Not only did Dortch contribute eight points in the win, but for 32 minutes she dogged Falcon point guard Tracy Pontius and her replacement on every Bowling Green possession. Pontius, who was averaging in double-figures, was held to one filed goal for the game.

 * Toledo’s record: 14-6, 6-1 MAC.

The victory string against the East Division opponents continued with a tough 66-53 win over Kent State (15-4, 6-1 MAC) at Savage Arena on Saturday, Jan. 29. It was the annual “Think Pink” Day and 4,519 fans showed up to cheer on the Rockets and help raise funds for the fight against breast cancer. A sparkling 54.2 first-half shooting percentage allowed Toledo to establish a 39-19 lead at intermission, and the margin was sufficient to fend off a Kent rally that cut the lead to nine points, 59-50, with three minutes remaining.

Four clutch free throws, followed by a triple from Andola Dortch ensured that there would be no late-game heroics by the visitors. Scoring honors went to Naama Shafir (16 points) and Melissa Goodall (11 points). Coming into the contest, both teams had been tied for the conference lead with twin 6-1 records but the Rockets were now all alone on the top of the mountain.

* Toledo’s Record: 15-6, 7-1 MAC.

The next two games had the Midnight Blue and Gold traveling to Akron and Miami to tangle with a pair of cross division opponents. First on Toledo’s menu were the Akron Zips. The Rockets found themselves on the short end of a 24-23 half-time score thanks to some strong post play by sophomore Rachel Tecca (10 points), then fought back from eight points down in the second period to register a 58-49 win. The Zips out shot Toledo from the floor, but a 26-of-34 effort at the charity stripe gave Cullop’s Crew the nod in this one. The Rocket starters accounted for all but three of Toledo’s 58 point total.

* Toledo’s record: 16-6, 8-1 MAC.

Following the Akron win, Toledo headed for Oxford, OH to keep a Saturday Feb.5, date with Miami. The Redhawks, without a senior on the roster, were struggling with a 10-11 overall record and just 2-7 in the conference. Early on, Toledo turnovers and some poor shooting allowed the hosts to get out to a nine point leads on three occasions before a 9-0 Toledo run catapulted the visitors into the lead, 28-27 near the five minute mark. An 11-0 run at the end of the half put the Rockets in the driver’s seat, 39-30 and Miami would ultimately lose to the MAC frontrunners, 76-65. Melissa Goodall had a 21 point, eight rebound game to pace UT, with her two roommates, Naama Shafir and Jessica Williams chipping in with 19 and 10 points respectively.

* Toledo’s record: 17-6, 9-1 MAC.

Toledo finished its tour through the East Division with a wire-to-wire 68-48 rout of Ohio University (7-16, 3-7 MAC) at Savage Arena on Feb.12. Naama Shifir had 17 point to pace Toledo with Jessica Williams tossing in 12 points on four three-pointers. Melissa Goodall had a strong game with nine points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. The win over the Bobcats gave UT a sweep of the teams in the East.

* Toledo’s record: 18-6, 10-1 MAC.

The front-running Rockets began their stretch run to the MAC championship on Wed. Feb.16 at Savage Arena against West Division rival Western Michigan. Unlike the first game in Kalamazoo when Toledo needed an overtime period to get the win, the Rockets got an early jump on things with an 8-0 opening run that quickly took the fight out of the Broncos. The score at the half was 37-14 with that Toledo “Steel-Curtain” defense limiting the visitors to just five baskets in the first 20 minutes.

Things went from bad to worse for WMU in the second half as the Rockets shot 63.6 percent from the floor enroute to a 76-39 pounding. Naama Shafir paced a balanced Toledo attack with 13 points, followed by Courtney Ingersoll with 12 points, and Riley McCormick and Yolanda Richardson with 11 points each.

UT forced the Broncos into 35 turnovers that the Rockets converted into 41 points. In a something-you-don’t-see-everyday statistic, the Toledo bench out scored the entire Western Michigan team, 42-39.

* Toledo’s record: 19-6, 11-1 MAC.

Toledo claimed a share of the MAC West title with a 67-49 road win at Ball State on Feb.19. Ball State usually gives the Rockets fits at Worthen Arena (UT hadn’t won there since 2004) but on this day the Toledo offense kicked into gear at about the 12 minute mark of the first half, rolling up a 35-23 lead at the break. Toledo continued its mastery right thru the second half, returning to campus with fairly easy victory. Naama Shafir and Melissa Goodall each had 15 points to lead the Rocket scoring but the big story here was holding the Cardinals to 30.9 percent shooting on their home court. Ball State was also shut out from outside the arc on 11 attempts.

* Toledo’s Record: 20-6, 12-1 MAC.

The Rockets got a big scare in their next game at home against Eastern Michigan on Feb.23. The Eagles were still smarting from that 72-56 loss at the hands of Toledo back in January and they motored down to Savage Arena with a large chip on their collective shoulders. Naama Shafir poured in 32 points to pull the Rockets from the edge of the abyss in the second half after the visitors led for most of the game. It was Shafir’s 3-pointer that she launched just before the shot clock expired with 55 seconds left in the contest that proved to be the difference as UT eked out a 65-64 win. Yolanda Richardson had 10 points in a reserve role for the victors.

The Eagles out shot Toledo from the floor but an 18-of-21 effort at the free throw line for the Midnight Blue and Gold proved the difference.

* Toledo’s record: 21-6, 13-1 MAC.

Toledo travelled to DeKalb, IL to tackle Northern Illinois on Feb.26. The Huskies had been inconsistent during much of the season, playing well in some games and falling flat in others. In this contest they were neither good not totally bad, but they played well enough to carry the day against UT at the Convocation Center. Toledo never led in the game but stayed right with the home team until the final seconds before losing, 57-53. The difference was at the foul line where NIU converted as many free throws (19) as Toledo attempted. Melissa Goodall, Andola Dortch, and Naama Shafir provided the offensive punch for visitors. Dortch, who had become a starter in the first Eastern Michigan game, was improving with every outing and the fans were looking for her to put the whole package together as tournament time approached.

* Toledo’s record: 21-7, 13-2 MAC

Wednesday, Mar.2 was the final game of the regular season and 3,000 fans turned out at Savage Arena to see Toledo do battle with the Central Michigan Chippewas. It was also Senior Recognition Night for Toledo’s two seniors, Melissa Goodall and Jessica Williams. Their farewell performance earned them a standing ovation following an 85-75 win over the Chips that gave the Rockets the outright MAC regular season championship. A loss would have dropped Toledo into a tie with Bowling Green for the crown, but that scenario just wasn’t going to fly.

Goodall had an amazing game, scoring a career-high 28 points and corralling 10 rebounds, while out on the perimeter Williams was good for 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Andola Dortch also stepped up big for the new conference champs with 17 points, six assists, and three rebounds.

Following the game, the team and coaches participated in the ceremonial cutting of the nets, something that hasn’t been done for a number of years.

* Toledo’s record: 22-7, 14-2 MAC.  MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPS

THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

March 9, arrived and the top-seeded Rockets drew No.8 seed Akron for their opening game at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. Toledo had the upper hand until the final four minutes of the first half when the Zips rallied to take a brief lead before both teams settled on a 32-32 tie at intermission. Early in the second half Akron got the better of Toledo, leading by as many as eight points until UT settled down at about the seven-minute mark to regain a lead they hadn’t seen since the first period. The No.1 seed finally prevailed, converting eight free throws in the final 46 seconds to win 73-65.

Naama Shafir provided the offensive fireworks for Toledo with 28 points, while teammates Melissa Goodall and Yolanda Richardson contributed 13 and 10 points. Andola Dortch had eight points and eight assists. So it was on to the tournament semifinal bracket where No.5 seed Eastern Michigan was waiting with a surprise.

*Toledo’s record: 23-7

Two days after the victory over Akron, Toledo was back at the Quicken Loans Arena to take on West Division rival Eastern Michigan for the third time this season. In this game, the Eagles decided to put in a maximum effort to harass and hound Naama Shafir, and take their chances that the other Rockets wouldn’t pick up the slack. EMU’s dangerous strategy worked to perfection as Shafir was held to a single basket in 11 tries and Toledo lost the game, 61-55, eliminating Cullop’s Crew from the tournament and dashing any chance for the Rockets to receive a bid for the postseason NCAA Tournament.

Melissa Goodall garnered 18 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Yolanda Richardson finished with eight points and nine rebounds, but it just wasn’t enough on this afternoon. So the Rockets made the trip back to Toledo, somewhat dejected knowing they had lost an opportunity to appear on the national stage, but, as the regular season conference champs, also aware that another season awaited them in the WNIT.

Toledo’s record: 23-8

THE WNIT

The day following the heartbreaking loss to Eastern Michigan, Toledo received a bit of good news in that they would be hosting an opening round game in the WNIT on March 16, and the Blue Hens of Delaware would be the opponent. Delaware, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association boasted of having one of the country’s premiere players in 6-5 Elena Delle Donne, a young lady who originally committed to play at the University of Connecticut. Toledo would be without the services of starting forward sophomore Lecretia Smith who sustained a knee injury in the Eastern Michigan and was lost to the team until next season.

DELAWARE (20-13):

In a close game that went right down to the final seconds, Toledo got the win, 58-55. UT was trailing by eight points, 51-43, when an inspired game-ending 15-4 run carried the team to the win. Delle Donne, who was simply marvelous throughout the game with 31 points, had a chance to tie the score, but missed a trey with eight seconds on the clock that would have sent the contest into overtime. 

For Toledo, a pair of underclassmen stepped up to power the Rockets in this postseason encounter. Yolanda Richardson came off the bench to score 14 points and grab nine rebounds while freshman starter Andola Dortch tallied 13 points. Jessica Williams, who finished with nine points in the game, hit a big 3-pointer with 53 seconds left that gave Toledo the lead and the energy to pull out the win. A fair turnout of 1,247 fans came out to watch the win, enough to get Toledo a second round game back at Savage Arena.

AUBURN (16-15):

Auburn, a winner over Tennessee Tech, was Toledo’s opponent in the second round of the tournament. The game would be played on Saturday, March 18, with a noon start. Yolanda Richardson got the starting call from Coach Cullop and the big sophomore responded with a 20-point, eight-rebound game to pace her teammates to an easy 67-52 win over the team from the Southeastern Conference. Melissa Goodall and Naama Shafir each had 12 points to aid in the victory. An average crowd of 1,390 folks paid their way in to see their Rockets dominate a big-time foe and they didn’t go home disappointed. The day following the win over Auburn it was announced that Toledo would be hosting Alabama in the third round of the Tournament, the game to be played on March 22.

After winning the first two games of the tournament, the Rockets began to generate some media attention from the local radio and television outlets and this, in turn, got the folks in Toledo, and the suburbs talking about the team. At first it wasn’t all that much but a minor buzz was being created.

ALABAMA (18-14):

So, Toledo now found itself in the “Sweet Sixteen” round of this WNIT. Tuesday, March 22, was the date and the opponent would be the Alabama Crimson Tide, a team that advanced by beating Northwestern, 72-70 on the Wildcats home court, using height and a full-court press to take down the Wildcats. Who could blame the Toledo players for thinking hard about their own 10-point road loss to Northwestern way back in December, and now they were going up against the team that had eliminated the Evanston, IL school from the tourney. But, this was a different ballgame.

After a close first half that saw four lead changes and six ties, the teams went to intermission with Toledo holding a one-point, 31-30 lead. Jessica Williams got the Rockets off on the right foot in the second half with a traditional three-point play and UT held a slim lead throughout most of the final period. Toledo was struggling to maintain a three-point, 59-56, lead with 3:45 to play, when Andola Dortch scored on a layup to kindle a 15-3 run that resulted in a 74-59 win and a place in the “Elite Eight,” a level no other MAC team had risen to under the present WNIT format. The win was witnessed by 3,740 rowdy fans that were doing their best to make gold the overwhelming color of choice. 

Four Rocket starters, led by Naama Shafir’s 19 points, scored in double figures and Toledo got some help from the bench in the form of Haylie Linn who had 10 points in 23 minutes of action. Alabama committed 21 fouls while chasing the quicker Rockets and this enabled the Midnight blue and Gold to go to the foul line 26 times, converting on 20 chances.

The excitement of winning three consecutive home games in this tournament began to grow in all parts of the city. In supermarkets, coffee shops, at the gas pumps, and, for me, in a doctor’s office, people not usually interested in the fortunes of UT women’s basketball could be heard talking about the unusual goings on at Savage Arena. Toledo had reached the Elite Eight of this step-sister to the NCAA Tournament but folks didn’t seem to care that it wasn’t quite the Big Dance. The Rockets were enjoying success and a fourth game would be played in Toledo against the Syracuse Orange, a team out of the prestigious Big East Conference.

SYRACUSE (21-8):

Syracuse was said to be an angry team; miffed because the Orange play in one of college basketball’s premiere conferences for women, and yet they did not receive a bid to perform on the big stage; miffed because they had a December victory over powerful Ohio State, winner of the Big-10 post-season tournament and a No.4 seed in the NCAA Tournament; and miffed because they had to travel all the way to Toledo to tangle with a Mid-American Conference school on its home ice.

Sunday, March 27, saw 5,001 gold-clad fans pass through the Varsity-T Hall of Fame lobby and into the arena to offer their vocal support to the Rockets. Early on, Toledo struggled with its shooting accuracy while Syracuse went right to its strengths, guard Erica Morrow and the inside muscle, 6-4 Kayla Alexander and 6-3 Shakeya Leary, to claim a 12-point, 38-26 lead at intermission.

Things weren’t going all that well for UT in the second half, down by 11 points with about 14 minutes to play, until Yolanda Richardson scored on a layup to rejuvenate the Rockets, and reenergize the crowd. Toledo had some serious ground to make up now, but the collective effort of every player who saw action during the game seemed to ensure that somehow, someway, the team that would ultimately come out on top would be wearing the white uniforms with the gold and blue trim.

Trailing by eight points with 8:35 to play, Naama Shafir and Jessica William hit consecutive treys, and when Melissa Goodall scored on a layup to tie things up at 55, the fans let out a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the entire building.

Toledo went ahead by two points on a traditional 3-point play by Richardson. The big sophomore hasn’t ever been known for her ability to convert free throws, but she was as good as gold with her one opportunity and that charity toss may have been the biggest one of her career, because Syracuse ultimately tied the game up on a late basket to force overtime.

A Richardson basket and two free-throw conversions by Shafir with seven seconds remaining gave Toledo a 71-58 lead that stood until the final horn when the place went bonkers. Following the win it was announced that Toledo would be hosting a Final-Four game on Wednesday, March 30.

CHARLOTTE (27-9):

The UNC-Charlotte 49ers finished the Atlantic-10 Conference regular season in third place and arrived at the WNIT Final-Four by beating the likes of Liberty, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia, an impressive list of opponents equaling the Rocket’s tournament foes.

The day after the Rockets vanquished Syracuse the Toledo Ticket Office opened up at 10:00 am and fans began arriving in droves to purchase seats for the game. In the final tally, official attendance was given as 7,020, a UT and a MAC record for a women’s game being played at a campus facility. And as attendance grew with each game, the enthusiasm of the fan base became that much crazier. An hour before the scheduled 8:00 pm tip off, Savage Arena was three-quarters full and the atmosphere was becoming highly charged.

The contest itself was an 83-60 Rocket blow-out victory that saw Toledo play one of the most complete games in Tricia Cullop’s tenure. All five Toledo starters finished the game in double figures. There was a host of remarkable stat lines, for instance: Naama Shafir had 16 points, nine assists, one steal, and just one turnover; Jessica Williams had 15 points – on five treys – and two assists; Yolanda Richards was a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor in totaling 14 points; Andola Dortch had 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals; the fifth starter, Melissa Goodall, had 11 points, three rebounds, a steal, and a block. Haylie Linn also played well in her time on the court, producing seven points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal in eighteen minutes. The best stats of all might have been Toledo’s 21 assists against just three turnovers, prompting Tricia Cullop to say that she might just frame the final stat sheet.

Immediately following the game Dortch announced to the crowd that Toledo would be hosting the Championship game on Saturday, April 2.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (24-12):

An infectious epidemic of Rocket Fever took hold immediately following the Charlotte game and spread throughout the community when Toledo learned that the University of Southern California would be its opponent in the championship game. People lined up hours before the Savage Arena Ticket Office opened, trying to obtain the best possible seating for this monumental face off, with the queue snaking all the way under the bleachers and across the facility. Six hours after the first ticket was sold, the game was a complete sellout, the first ever for a women’s game. In the end the official attendance would be announced as 7,301, a figure that even topped the 7.252 fans who witnessed the Dec. 03, 2008 Savage Arena rededication game that pitted the men’s team against UMASS.

The path the Women of Troy took to get the championship game included wins over UC Santa Barbara, Nevada, Brigham Young, Colorado and Illinois State. The win over Illinois State was particularly impressive because it was a 63-36 rout on ISU’s home court. The Trojans had a host of high school and McDonalds All-Americans on the roster and had the PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year in junior Briana Gilbreath. The visitors also had a tall team with a 6-5 center and a starting five that had no one under 6-0.  Coaching the team from the Los Angeles was Michael Cooper, a former member of the NBA Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile, back in T-Town it seemed as if the entire city was talking about The Game. One TV sports personality commented that a ticket to the women’s game was hotter than a ticket to a Bob Seeger concert, referring to a pair of sold-out performances by the rocker at downtown Toledo’s Huntington Center.

Southern Cal took control of the game early, using the team’s height advantage and relying on the offensive punch of Gilbreath, to grab a 16-9 lead. Thanks to a pair of treys from Haylie Linn Toledo was keeping it close and the Rockets finally pulled up even at 27 with 5:18 on the remaining on the clock. USC regained a small lead but then a Linn free throw and two layups by Naama Shafir in the final 38 seconds gave UT a 35-32 lead at intermission. The second layup came after an amazing cross-dribble into the paint and a push that went through the net just as the half came to a close. And when Shafir gave a fist-pump after scoring it was just a harbinger of what was in store for the final 20 minutes.

UT was trailing by a deuce, 44-42, with seven minutes gone in the second period when Shafir went on a tear to score the next twelve Toledo points and put the home up, 54-47. Haylie Linn then xtended the lead to ten points with a triple. Melissa Goodall drained a trey to make it a 67-53 ball game with 3:02 to play and things were looking rosy for the Rockets. Southern Cal cut the lead to four points with 36 seconds remaining but Shafir iced things with six free throws down the final stretch and when the scoreboard read 78-66 with no time remaining a wild celebration broke out on the court, complete with confetti, the student body, and a special front page edition of the Toledo Blade.

Following the initial surge of enthusiasm and euphoria on the floor, things settled down enough to allow for the announcement of individual awards along with the presentation of the runner up and championship trophies. Individually, Yolanda Richardson was named to the all-tournament team and Naama Shafir, who totaled 40 points in the final contest, was honored with the tournament MVP award.

AFTERWARD:

It’s been almost two months between “The Win” and the writing of this season summary but people in Toledo continue to talk about the events of the season and that magnificent trip through the WNIT.

Melissa Goodall and Jessica Williams both recently received their diplomas and they have left quite a legacy of accomplishments. The departing seniors were recruited by a former coach but blossomed under the three-year tutelage of Tricia Cullop that culminated in a record-breaking season. In addition to winning the WNIT, the Rockets finished the year with a, best ever, 29 wins enroute to their eighth MAC regular-season championship.

Toledo ended the season on an 18 game home win streak, and, for the 20 games played on Nichols Court, performed in front of 61,550 fans, for an average attendance of, 3,078. Additionally, the 7,301 folks who packed the arena for the championship final set the MAC single game attendance record of 7,301 for a game at a campus facility, topping the 7,020 figure that was set just three days prior for the semi-final game.

Toledo players earned a plethora of individual achievements in addition to the team honors. Goodall and Williams each played in , a record, 131 games over the course of their careers, topping the mark of 128 games set by Karen Kopinski from 1988 to 1993, and each player set standards in the record book that future Rockets will look to emulate.

Naama Shafir and Goodall earned sports on the all-conference team while Andola Dortch was voted to the all-freshman team. Tricia Cullop was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, the second time in her three years at Toledo. Following the successful WNIT run, she also received the Columbus Dispatch Ohio Coach College of the Year award. On April 8, it was announced that Cullop had signed a contract extension, ensuring that she will be a Rocket through the 2019-20 season.

There is no way at this time to perceive all of the positives that will ultimately follow as a result of the notoriety gained by Toledo’s successful postseason performance, but, rest assured, there will be some.

Some years from now when fans get together to talk about the 2010-11 Rockets – and they will talk about them – upwards of, perhaps, 15,000 people will swear that they were at that final WNIT game to witness the Toledo players hoist the championship trophy following the win. It always happens after a really big big victory; perhaps that’s the way it should be.

Well done!