The Toledo women’s basketball team rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat St. John’s, 72-71, in second-round action of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) before 2,521 fans in Savage Arena on Sunday.
Toledo (28-5) will next play on Thursday (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) at No. 1 seed Washington State (20-14), which defeated Santa Clara 73-47 today.
Senior forward Sammi Mikonowicz’s 17 points paced Toledo in its 72-71 victory over St. John’s in second-round WBIT action at Savage Arena on Sunday.
After falling behind 49-36 in the third quarter, the Rockets stormed back and took their first lead of the second half, 62-61, on a Quinesha Lockett free throw with 2:22 remaining. Toledo led by as many as four points down the stretch until the waning moments when the Red Storm had one final possession down 72-69 with 10 seconds remaining. The Johnnies missed a pair of free throws but got the ball back when Hahhan Noveroske was called for traveling on the rebound of the second miss. St. John’s converted a layup with 1.7 seconds left to cut the lead to one, but Toledo was then able to in-bounds the ball and run out the clock to secure the victory.
“I was really proud of how we persevered, being down at the half and having 10 turnovers,” said Head Coach Tricia Cullop, who secured the 21st post-season win (NCAA/WNIT/WBIT) of her career. “They were shooting lights out in the first half. We could have easily packed it up and went home. They were so resilient and mentally tough. They just never give up. This group is not afraid to scrap and claw and do whatever it takes to win.”
Senior forward Sammi Mikonowicz led the way for the Midnight Blue and Gold with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Senior center Hannah Noversoske added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Lockett finished with 11 points and five assists.
Toledo made 30-of-58 (51.7%) from the field, including 17-of-28 (60.7%) in the second half, and out-rebounded the Red Storm 35-25. The Johnnies shot 29-of-57 (50.9%) from the floor but just 6-of-15 (40.0%) in the fourth quarter. Unique Drake led St. John’s (18-15) with 21 points.
Toledo has now won 15 straight games at Savage Arena (15-1 overall this season) and is now 20-8 in post-season games at Savage Arena, including an 18-8 mark in WNIT games from 1998 to 2022.
