The University of Toledo

Senior forward Tanika Mays led the Rockets with 18 points in the MAC Championship game.

The University of Toledo women’s basketball team fell one game short of reaching its goal, losing to Bowling Green, 62-53, in the championship game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The Rockets were hoping to win their eighth MAC Championship title and first since 2001. Instead, it was the Falcons who won their 10th MAC crown and fourth in the past five seasons.

Toledo (24-8) was led by senior forward Tanika Mays, who had 18 points. Junior forward Melissa Goodall added 15 points to go with 13 rebounds, while sophomore guard Naama Shafir chipped in with 12 points and seven assists. Mays and Shafir made the all-tournament team. Bowling Green (27-6) was led by junior forward Lauren Prochaska, who topped all scorers with 29 points and was named the tournament MVP.

The game was up for grabs until the final minute. Goodall pulled the Rockets within a point, 54-53, with a layup with 1:26 remaining. But the Falcons countered with a jumper by Tracy Pontius on its next possession to go up, 56-53. The Rockets moved the ball up the floor quickly, but Shafir’s jumper was blocked by Tara Breske. Toledo would not score again and Bowling Green made five of six free throws to put the game away.

The Falcons led at halftime, 29-24, thanks to a 17-2 run in the final eight minutes. Toledo got off to a roaring start, jumping out to a 10-2 lead, fueled by a pair of three-pointers by Mays. The Rockets extended their lead to 22-12 on a layup by Yolanda Richardson with 8:19 to play but scored only two points the rest of the half. Toledo made nine of its first 17 shots then went one for 13 the rest of the way.

The Rockets fought back, scoring the first six points of the second half to regain the lead at 30-29. From there, the two teams battled back and forth, with neither side leading by more than four until BG’s Prochaska hit a three to put the Falcons up, 50-45, with 5:38 to play. The Rockets rallied but never again took the lead.

The Rockets finish their season waiting for word of an invitation from either the NCAA or WNIT tournaments. UT will discover its fate Monday.

This entry was posted  on  Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at  5:02 pm and is filed under  News, UToday.
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