Ball State's 3-point shooting trips Toledo

Feb. 28—A familiar scene played out at Savage Arena on Saturday afternoon: the University of Toledo women's basketball team rallying in the second half, only to come up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

The Rockets fell victim to superb shooting by Ball State, which shot 50 percent from the field and 3-point range, connecting on 12 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc, en route to an 88-77 victory over UT.

The problem was that Ball State entered the game making less than 30 percent of its 3s, ranking 10th in the Mid-American Conference. The usually-understated Tricia Cullop was noticeably animated on the sideline, vexed by her team's inability to challenge Ball State's shooters.

"Today was a frustrating game because I thought we had open looks that we missed and I was disappointed with our effort to guard the 3-point line," the Toledo coach said. "They have great 3-point shooters. Our scouting report reflected that, but at times we didn't guard them close enough. And on screens when we asked them to go over, we went under and gave up a wide-open 3. We have to do a better job of being disciplined guarding 3-point shooters."

Toledo (10-12, 6-12 Mid-American Conference) never led, trailing 16-4 in the opening minutes and by 11 at halftime. The deficit was 14 points in the third quarter when the Rockets began their surge, pulling to within three points multiple times.

Ball State (13-9, 11-7) always had an answer, zapping UT's hopes with an 18-1 run that turned a 58-55 lead into an insurmountable 20-point advantage. The Ball State veterans and the physical nature of the game took a toll on the Rockets, according to Cullop.

"It's very frustrating when you fight so hard to get back in the game and it starts dwindling away," said Toledo guard Quinesha Lockett, who scored a team-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. "We have to learn from mistakes like this."

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This is the second time that Lockett's had a big day against the Cardinals, scoring 34 points at Ball State in January. Her per-game scoring average of 18.8 points currently ranks ninth in program history.

The Cardinals didn't shoot worse than 46 percent in any quarter and made multiple 3s in each quarter. Oshlynn Brown, who's averaging 19.2 points and 11.9 rebounds, had 12 rebounds, but the Rockets limited her to just nine points. However, it created 3-point opportunities for Ball State, which happily took advantage.

Ball State's Sydney Freeman had a game-high 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Thelma Dis Agustsdottir had 18 points. They combined for all 12 of the Cardinals' 3s.

"We're going to have a hard time matching that many 3s," Cullop said. "We can't keep up with that. We have to guard that better."

Toledo, which had a season-low seven turnovers, shot 45.5 percent from the field and only made eight of 26 3-point attempts. The Rockets were just one of 10 from long range in the first half when the deficit first climbed to double digits.

"We just couldn't match up to their 3-point shooting," Lockett said. "We just have to learn how to defend the arc and go over screens instead of going under and pushing the ball in transition. That's when we had our runs."

Sophia Wiard scored 12 points, Halle Idowu had a career day with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Mali Morgan-Elliott and Sammi Mikonowicz finished with 10 points.

Idowu's production came after senior forward Tatyana Davis entered the transfer portal and left the program.

"She did not talk to me about that decision, but we wish her the best," Cullop said. "I really don't have anything else to say."

First Published February 27, 2021, 5:11pm