 "Photo: File Photo by Jason Mack")
The return of senior forwards Tanika Mays and Allie Clifton could not help the Rockets as they suffered their sixth loss of the season 73-67 Saturday at Northern Illinois. With the loss, UT (20-6 Mid-American Conference) remains first in MAC West division but falls behind Bowling Green (21-6, 11-2 MAC) for the best record in the conference.
Toledo struggled on the offensive end as Northern Illinois (10-15, 4-9) held the Rockets to 34.5 percent (20 of 58) from the field and 29.6 percent (8 of 27) from behind the three-point line.
“Northern Illinois played great defense today, and I thought that was the difference in the game,” Toledo Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. “They made us really struggle for shots and forced us into several turnovers. It seemed like every time we turned the ball over, it led to an easy basket for them. Unfortunately, that really hurt us.”
Sophomore guard Naama Shafir posted her second double-double of the season, leading the Rockets with 16 points and 10 assists. Junior forward Melissa Goodall also finished with a double-double, netting 12 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard Jessica Williams was the only other Rocket to finish in double-digit points with 11. Mays scored four points with three rebounds and a block in 12 minutes while Clifton was held scoreless in four minutes of play.
Toledo could not contain NIU’s MAC Player of the Year candidate Marke Freeman, who finished with a game high 24 points and 10 assists.
“Marke is tough to contain,” Cullop said. “She is a great penetrator and unselfish player.”
Northern Illinois ended their three-game losing streak by shooting 42.1 percent (24 of 57) from the field and posted 52.9 percent (9 of 17) from beyond the arc.
“NIU really shot the ball well, especially from three-point range in the first half,” Cullop said.
Northern Illinois jumped out to a hot start, hitting their first five shots from the field to take a 12-3 lead with 16:03 to play in the first half.
Williams stepped up for Toledo and nailed a three and a runner from the baseline to close NIU’s lead to 15-11 with 14:02 remaining.
The Rockets fought back to even the score at 19 thanks in part of a three-pointer by sophomore guard Claire Aubrey at the 10:02 mark. Kylie York responded and nailed a three of her own for the Huskies with 7:17 remaining for a 23-20 lead.
“I told our team before the game that Kylie is one of the top-five three-point shooters in the league and how we did not want to give her an open look,” Cullop said. “We switched up our defenses quite a bit, but our kids weren’t talking and that allowed her space to shot.”
Shafir nailed a three at the 1:10 mark to tie the game at 32, but a three-pointer by NIU’s Brittany Callahan pushed Northern Illinois up 37-35 at halftime.
The Rockets came out sluggish and were outscored 12-3 to open the second half, falling behind 50-38 with 13:17 left in the game.
NIU’s defense clamped down on Toledo and limited UT to just two baskets in the first 10 minutes of the half as the Rockets eventually fell behind 56-41 with 9:44 left.
Down by 17 the Rockets tried to make a comeback behind two free-throws from Mays, two lay-ups each from freshman forward Lecretia Smith and Goodall and one from sophomore guard Courtney Ingersoll to shrink NIU’s lead down to six at 67-61 with 1:35 left in the game.
Freeman hit 4-of-6 free throws in the waning moments of the game to seal the victory.
The Rockets return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 24 when they travel to Central Michigan to take on the Chippewas (11-14, 8-5) at 7 p.m.
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