UB women's basketball pushes No. 1 Toledo to the brink, but falls in overtime

Toledo’s resume did nothing to deter the Bulls.

UB, the eighth seed in the eight-team MAC Tournament, utilized precise 3-point shooting and tenacious rebounding to push No. 1 seed Toledo to the brink of elimination in a 75-74 loss in overtime Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Rockets forced overtime on Quinesha Lockett’s 3-pointer with 13.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls again took Toledo all the way down to the wire in the five-minute overtime. Lockett blocked Re’Shawna Stone’s layup attempt with half a second remaining. The Bulls regained possession on a jump ball after Stone (18 points, eight rebounds) grabbed the rebound, but UB guard Zakiyah Winfield couldn’t sink a final shot just before the buzzer that would have completed the upset.  

“That final shot, there was 0.5 seconds left and we’re trying to get a quick lob up there,” said Winfield, whose off-balance shot banked off the backboard as the buzzer sounded. “I got a screen set for me, because it was for Latrice (Perkins), but she wasn’t open. I got a screen set for me and I tried to curl it and tip it up, right away.”

Winfield’s final shot – one of seven the Bulls (12-16) took in overtime – ended an extra session in which the two teams traded the lead five times, before Jayda Jansen’s free throws with 14.5 seconds left gave Toledo (26-4) a 75-74 lead. Lockett hit Toledo’s only shot in overtime, but the Rockets were 4 for 6 on free throws.

The Rockets ended UB's first season under Becky Burke. The Bulls entered on a three-game winning streak at the end of the regular season, and aimed to carry that late-season momentum into the MAC Tournament.

“We all came together these last three weeks and we wanted to make a change,” said Winfield, who scored 22 points and had seven rebounds. “We had a (six-game) losing streak, so we gathered around each other and talked about some things, and focused on making a run and trying to get to Cleveland. That was our top priority.”

Instead, the overtime win helps the Rockets remain in contention for the MAC Tournament championship and for the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, and extends their winning streak to 14 games.

The future for UB, for Burke : Cullop, Toledo’s 15th-year coach, said after the win that she had traded text messages with Burke on Monday.

“I just said, I was so impressed with how her team plays for her,” Cullop said. “It’s a short bench, but they’re not short on heart. And we knew that, going into this game.”

Burke made the MAC Tournament less than a year after she was hired last April, and less than a year after she pieced together a roster that included graduate transfers, transfers and incoming freshmen.

“People forget this team was put together so last-minute,” Burke said. “We had so many grad transfers and so many seniors who were just going to get us through this year, in a sense, as competitive as we have possibly been.

“We’ve had a chance to recruit for a year and a half, now, and build relationships, and just be ahead of the eight-ball. We’re going to be very, very young.”

Cullop described Burke’s first team as tough, aggressive, and stingy – a reflection of Burke’s mentality.

“To be able to pull all those pieces together means she’s an extremely talented coach,” Cullop said. “I told her, ‘We’re so lucky to have you in our league.’ I want our league to continue to get better, that’s how we elevate everything.”

On the boards and at the perimeter: Winfield and Burke said rebounding and 3-point shooting became a priority for the Bulls.

“We saw the success we had with what we were doing in rebounding, defending, and letting our defense lead to our offense,” Winfield said.

UB was 8 for 13 on 3-pointers in the first half, including Hattie Ogden’s 3-for-3 effort, en route to a 42-40 halftime lead.

“Their 3-point shooting was outstanding in the first half,” Cullop said. “They would hit big 3, after big 3 after big 3, and that can get a little frustrating.

“The second half, we defended the three a little better, because you cannot leave them open or they make you pay.”

The Bulls, who fielded a six-player lineup, had 38 rebounds to Toledo’s 36, including seven offensive rebounds – though Cullop said it seemed like a higher total.

“Sometimes, you play 30 seconds of intense defense to get what you want, and man, they’re just relentless,” Cullop said. “They got in there, and got another board.”

Lockett’s late push: Lockett, the MAC’s player of the year, scored 19 points and had five rebounds, but was held to six points on 2 of 8 shooting in the first three quarters – she had seven assists in that same span. Lockett entered the game averaging 18 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists, but broke out in the fourth.

“You’re not going to shut her down, completely,” Burke said. “She made some incredibly tough plays down the stretch. Credit to her for that three to send it to overtime. It was one of the toughest shots I’ve ever seen. You just do you best and send multiple defenders at her. Playing zone helps keep her out of the paint and helps keep her off the free-throw line. That was a crucial point for us.”

What’s next: UB’s season ends. Toledo will face No. 4 Kent State, which defeated No. 5 Northern Illinois 75-68, in a MAC semifinal at 10 a.m. Friday.