Rockets Survive Furious Falcon Comeback for 68-60 Win

Wednesday, February 17

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

8-14, 4-9MAC

Toledo

14-10, 9-4MAC

Toledo

Bowling Green

February 17, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BGSU battles all the way back from 19 points down, but UT able to answer

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team battled all the way back from a 19-point deficit to tie the score in the fourth quarter Wednesday night (Feb. 17). But, the visiting University of Toledo was able to answer the Falcons' rally, and the Rockets hit their free throws down the stretch en route to a 68-60 victory in a Mid-American Conference thriller at the Stroh Center.

Janice Monakana scored a game-high 28 points for the Rockets (14-10, 9-4 MAC), while Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott added 19. For the Falcons (8-14, 4-9 MAC), senior Lauren Tibbs had a season-high 22 points, while freshman Sydney Lambert scored 17 second-half points after being held scoreless in the first 20 minutes.

Lambert and Tibbs combined for 33 of BGSU's 44 points in the second half.

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POSTGAME AUDIO: Tibbs | Coach Roos
VIDEO: BGSU-UT Highlights
PHOTO GALLERY: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Mkt. & Comm.

The Rockets led by six points after one quarter, then outscored BGSU by a 19-6 count in the second period. UT ended the half on a 9-2 run to take a 35-16 lead at the intermission.

The Falcons came roaring back, however, with 27 points in the third quarter to narrow the visitors' lead to five points heading into the fourth. Then, after Monakana hit a three-pointer to begin the fourth-quarter scoring, the Brown and Orange scored eight-straight points to come all the way back, with Lambert's corner three tying the game at 51-all with 6:15 left.

But, Halee Printz hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Rockets the lead once again, and the Falcons could not draw any closer than three points the rest of the way. The visitors went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line over the final two minutes to slowly pull away.

Two BGSU starters, senior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Haley Puk, fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, and the Falcons played without junior Ashley Tunstall due to injury. Puk made her first start of the season in Tunstall's place on Wednesday night.

On the night, the Falcons were whistled for 27 fouls, compared to 12 for the visitors in Gold and Midnight Blue.

The Falcons shot just 15.4 percent in the second quarter as Toledo's lead surged from six to 19 points. BG went just 2-of-13 from the field that period, but the Brown and Orange then hit 9-of-13 field-goal tries (69.2%) in the third quarter. Toledo made just seven field goals during the entire second half, but the Rockets were 13-of-16 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Monakana opened the game's scoring on a putback, but Tibbs scored back-to-back buckets, hitting a layup off of a Justinger pass, then taking Puk's pass and knocking down a foul-line jumper.

Monakana scored again, however, and after Puk's running jumper gave the hosts the lead once more, Bravo-Harriott scored four-straight points for the guests. Justinger's runner as the shot clock wound down knotted the score at 8-8, but a Monakana three-pointer began an 8-0 Rocket run, capped by a Jada Woody triple with 1:27 left in the quarter.

Justinger drove the lane and hit a layup, cutting the UT lead to 16-10 after one period.

Monakana had nine points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting in the first quarter, and she continued that hot-shooting start, knocking down a triple try to open the second period. That began an 8-0 run for the Rockets over a span of two-plus minutes, and when Sophie Reecher split a pair of free throws, the visitors had a 24-10 advantage.

Junior Rachel Konieczki's long two-pointer snapped the Falcons' scoring drought, and after a pair of Bravo-Harriott tosses, redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick threw the ball inside to Tibbs for a layup. But, Brenae harris hit a floater, Monakana canned a jumper, and the UT lead was 30-14.

Konieczki got to the line and hit both shots at the 1:32 mark, but Monakana drilled another three-pointer, and after an offensive foul call went against the Falcons, Harris converted a layup for a 35-16 UT advantage at the half.

The Rockets shot 46.4% (13-of-28) from the field in that first half, while holding BGSU to a 7-for-28 (25%) effort. Monakana's 18 first-half points came after she went 7-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point land.

BGSU did not make a single triple in the first 20 minutes, going 0-of-6 from beyond the arc.

The second half started with a BG bucket on the first possession, as Tibbs rebounded her own miss and put a shot back up and in. But, neither team would score for more than two minutes, until Ana Capotosto's free throw made it a 36-18 UT lead.

Tibbs, however, took a pass from Puk and banked home an 'and-one' layup, converting the free throw.

It appeared as if BG would not be able to cut into the UT lead, however, as Bravo-Harriott answered the Tibbs three-point play with a long-distance make. Then, after Lambert dribbled around the top of the arc and hit a three-ball, Bravo again answered with a long-range shot, giving UT a 42-24 lead with 6:50 left in the period. But, the Falcons were about to make a run.

BG scored 10 of the game's next 11 points, beginning with a Lambert defensive rebound. The freshman went coast to coast and hit a pull-up jumper. UT's Kaayla McIntyre split a pair of charity tosses at the 5:29 mark, but the Falcons then scored eight-straight points.

Freshman Carly Santoro scored on a driving layup, and Lambert knocked down a trey at the 4:14 mark, cutting UT's lead to 12 points. On the next possession, Harris rebounded her own miss, but freshman Maddie Cole lunged to deflect a Harris pass, going to the floor to corral the ball before the Falcons called timeout.

Cole's stat line did not reflect the impact she had on Wednesday's game. The freshman from Sylvania had perhaps the finest game of her young BGSU career, giving the Falcons and the home crowd a lift.

Kirkpatrick hit a driving layup out of the timeout, and the UT lead was 10. The Rockets missed a three-point try, with Cole grabbing the rebound. Lambert was fouled on a jumper, and hit one of her two free throws.

Bravo-Harriott snapped the visitors' scoreless streak, with UT's first field goal in over four minutes, but Kirkpatrick found Tibbs for a three-pointer from the right wing, and the Falcons were within eight points. Tibbs was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range vs. the Rockets.

Monakana split two tosses, but Cole's pass found Tibbs in traffic underneath, and the senior hit a reverse layup. Monakana answered with a basket, but Santoro was fouled with 18.8 seconds left in the period, making both shots.

Harris was fouled with 4.8 seconds on the clock, and the UT guard headed to the line. But, she missed both of her shots, and Justinger was fouled as she rebounded the second miss. The senior made both of her tries from the line with 3.8 seconds on the clock, and the team from the city located 20-some miles north of the Stroh Center led by just five points after three periods.

Tibbs had 10 points and Lambert nine in that third quarter. The Falcons went 3-of-4 from three-point land in that period, en route to that 9-of-13 overall third-quarter field-goal effort.

In the fourth quarter, Monakana's step-back three gave UT and eight-point lead, but Puk fed Tibbs for a three-ball out top, and after a nifty offensive rebound by Santoro on BG's next possession, Lambert's pull-up jumper cut the Rockets' lead to 51-48 with 6:47 left.

On the next possession, Tibbs blocked a Reecher layup attempt, with the Falcon senior coming up with the rebound. Justinger fed Lambert for a three-point try from the left corner, and the shot found nothing but the bottom of the net, tying the game as the Rockets used a timeout with 6:14 left.

Printz, however, hit a long two-pointer on the next possession, and after a BG miss, Printz knocked down another shot with 5:12 left. Then, with 3:50 to go, she split a pair of tosses. All five of Printz's points in the game came during that two-plus-minute stretch, giving UT a 56-51 lead.

Meanwhile, Puk had been called for her fifth foul with 5:29 on the clock, and Justinger was whistled for her fifth with exactly 5:00 remaining.

Santoro knocked down a long two-pointer with 3:34 to go, cutting UT's lead to three points, but Monakana answered with two free throws, and after two scoreless Falcon possessions, Bravo-Harriott's tosses withi 1:51 remaining gave the Rockets a 60-53 lead.

Junior Abby Siefker split two shots from the stripe with 1:35 left, and after a Harris free throw, Siefker found Tibbs for a right-elbow three to cut UT's lead to four points. But, the Rockets took care of business, hitting their shots at the line, and BG could draw no closer.

With UT leading by six points, Harris clinched the visiting team's win by blocking a shot, then rebounding the ball with 38 seconds to go. She was fouled and hit two tosses for a 65-57 lead that all but sealed the deal.

In addition to her team-high 22 points, Tibbs had a game-high nine rebounds and three blocked shots. She was 9-for-15 from the field on the night, including that perfect 3-for-3 three-point effort. Lambert hit four three-pointers in seven attempts, as BG went 7-of-21 from the arc, including 7-of-15 after halftime.

Monakana and Capotosto each had eight boards as the Rockets held a 37-34 lead on the glass. Harris had nine points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the win.

The Falcons now take to the road for four of the final five regular-season contests, beginning with a Saturday (Feb. 20) contest at Kent State. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at KSU's M.A.C. Center.