KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan women's basketball dropped their first of two matchups with Toledo for their first conference defeat of the year this afternoon by a final score of 76-67. The loss is also the Broncos' first to a non-power five opponent thus far.
The game went in typical Mid-American Conference fashion, with neither team finding a way to pull away from the other. The biggest run either team mustered up were offsetting 7-0 runs, one courtesy of WMU (8-4, 2-1 MAC) to begin the second half, and the other by Toledo (10-3, 4-0 MAC) halfway through the third. Sophomore guard
Lauren Ross got things started offensively for the Broncos, tallying 10 points on 4-6 shooting in the first quarter alone.
The Broncos found success from beyond the arc this afternoon, connecting on 12 of their 32 attempts for a 37.5 percent outing from three. Senior guard
Maddie Watters gave Western Michigan a nice boost off the bench, sinking 4 of 7 shots from three-point range for 12 of the Broncos 19 bench points in the game. WMU also capitalized on 7 of their 10 attempts from the charity stripe for an even 70 percent day from the line.
The difference in the game came from the foul line, as Toledo went 20-24 for the game and shot over twice as many free throws as the Broncos. WMU made one more field goal and two more shots from deep than the Rockets, but could not match Toledo from the stripe. Western Michigan also led the game in paint points, outscoring UT 22-16 in the key.
As a group, the Broncos shot 24-66 (36.4 percent) from the field, including 12-32 from three-point territory. Toledo sank 23 of their 49 shot attempts (46.9 percent), and split the difference from the arc, cashing in on 10 of 20 three pointers for an even 50 percent on the day.
Despite a solid effort from WMU, it seemed as though every time a Bronco connected on a big shot, the Rockets came right back and answered with a score of their own. Head coach
Shane Clipfell tipped his hat to the visiting Rockets postgame: "Seemingly every time we hit a big three to cut it to three, tie it up, or get up by two, somebody [from Toledo] would answer."
Western Michigan received a charge from
Lauren Ross, who led her squad in points, rebounds, and assists with 22 points and six boards, as well as four dimes in the game. Ross also drew a game high six fouls and capitalized on three of her four attempts from the charity stripe.
Redshirt senior forward
Reilly Jacobson added 14 points on 5-11 shooting (45.5 percent), two rebounds and four assists for the Broncos, making it her 11
th double-digit performance of the season.
Maddie Watters added her 12 points from deep, as well as two rebounds and a pair of assists for her team. Sophomore guard
Hannah Spitzley gave Western Michigan some solid minutes additionally, contributing seven points on 3-5 shooting and six rebounds during her 28 minutes on the floor.
The Broncos next matchup takes the form of the Northern Illinois Huskies, and Coach Clipfell knows how important that game will be for his group: "It's going to be a defining moment for us, whether we had won this game or lost this game. It's going to be a chance for our team to have a little gut check come Monday morning, and I fully expect our team will respond."
Western Michigan now gears up for Northern Illinois, and will host the Huskies inside University Arena on Jan. 12. Tip-off on Wednesday is set for 7 p.m. and will be available for streaming via ESPN3/ESPN+. Tickets can be found at wmubroncos.com/tickets.
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