Loss in overtime ends UT women’s basketball season

CLEVELAND, Ohio – After securing a first-round bye to Quicken Loans Arena in the 2016 Women’s Mid-American Conference Tournament, the No. 4-seeded Rockets were defeated in a quarterfinal battle with the No. 5-seeded Akron. The final score was 73-71 in overtime.

Following the loss, UT did not make the bid for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, making it the last time we will see seniors Brenae Harris and Ana Capotosto in a Rocket uniform.

“I think this game could have easily gone either way,” said Head Coach Tricia Cullop. “It’s because of the fight and effort of our team, we were down and had to fight back to make it a game and we did.”

Harris led the Rockets with 24 points; a game-tying high six assists while playing 44 minutes, a career-tying best. Behind Harris was Junior Janice Monakana with 14 points and 10 rebounds, landing a fifth career double-double.

Capotosto finished with 11 points in her final game as a Rocket.

On the other side of the court, Akron’s Anita Brown sunk 37 of the Zips’ 73 points.

Toledo shot 39.3 percent from the field but struggled at the line, shooting 20 of 29 free throws.

“We missed nine free throws today,” Cullop said. “We make our free throws, we win.”

The Rockets started things off with a quick 6-0 run after a pair of threes from Capotosto and Monakana in the first quarter.

The lead was held short after the Zips were able to tie things up at ten apiece halfway through the first quarter.

After taking a 13-12 lead late in the first, Brown tallied nine more points for the Zips to end the quarter with Akron’s lead expanding to 22-17.

Harris buried three consecutive jumpers at the five-minute mark of the second quarter to bring the Rockets back within one point at 27-26 with just over five minutes left in the opening half.

Akron closed out the half on top, taking a 40-36 lead to the locker room for halftime.

The Rockets started the third quarter cold, unable to connect from the field for the first seven minutes of the half. The Zips jumped out to a 48-38 lead, their largest of the night.

Sophomore Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott finally got things going for the Rockets after sinking a three to end the Zips 10-2 run.

The three-jump started a UT 14-0 run, and Toledo reclaimed the lead at 52-50, forcing Akron into a timeout.

“I think we were doing a great job at executing on offense,” Harris said. “Once we started to get stops, our defense liked our offense and that was what led us to that run.”

Akron cut the lead to one point as both teams began trading layups. It was a 57-56 game with three minutes remaining in regulation.

A pair of made free throws from Capotosto with 1:09 left ended up saving the Rockets during regulation, as Akron made a layup to tie it at 60 with 0:10 remaining.

Both teams could not find the basket on their late efforts, and the game was headed into overtime.

Akron was off to a hot start in OT, quickly leading the Rockets 64-61 with 3:04 remaining in the five-minute period.

Shortly after, Akron’s Hannah Plybon sunk a three to give the Zips the momentum they needed and took a 67-63 lead over UT.

With a minute left in OT, Toledo was able to bring it within two after a pair of free throws from Harris.

The Zips then went on to take a six-point advantage with 23 seconds remaining in OT, all but ending Toledo’s chances of a MAC Championship.

Two late threes from Capotosto and Harris brought the Rockets within two, but it was too little, too late, as Akron took the ballgame 73-71.

“I felt like our kids never gave up and just kept fighting,” Cullop said. “That’s what embodies what this team is, we fight and we give everything we got and I think we did that tonight.

“We just came up on the short end of the stick.”

That loss marked the end of the road for Toledo, whereas Akron went on play No. 8 Buffalo where Akron lost 88-87. Buffalo later won the tournament.

The Rockets will return starters Bravo-Harriott, Monakana and Junior Sophie Reecher to the 2016-2017 season.