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It was a game both teams desperately wanted to win. Both came into the 5-5 in conference play. With the way NIU, Ball State and CMU have been playing, nearly every game is a must win at this point.
1st Quarter
The game was close early, and then the Broncos started to gain momentum toward the end of the quarter.
By the end, the Broncos were leading 22-14. They were led by Marley Hill, who had 11 points. Meredith Shipman also played well, with 5 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Rockets led the all important rebounding battle, 12-7
2nd Quarter
The Rockets battled back, and a Mikaela Boyd jumper put them down 2 with 5:55 to go, 26-24.
A scoring drought ensued, with the teams exchanging a free throw each until Deja Wimby knocked in a pair of free throws, putting the Broncos up 29-25 with 2:30 left in the quarter.
WMU went into the half with the lead, 33-28.
Hill had 15 points and 4 rebounds for the Broncos. Shipman added 5 points and 5 assist.
The Rockets were led by Boyd with 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting, and 6 rebounds. Jay Bravo-Harriott added 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
3rd Quarter
After trailing by 10 early in the second half, the Rockets made a comeback.
Led by Kaayla McIntyre, the Rockets were able to tie the game at 38 with 6 minutes to go. They then took their first lead on a Bravo Harriott layup.
Neither team was willing to give an inch, with Toledo holding a slight lead, 48-46, going into the final quarter.
Boyd led the Rockets with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Bravo-Harriott and McIntyre added 10 each.
Hill led the Broncos with 19 and 6 boards
4th Quarter
The Rockets struck early, with Bravo-Harriott knocking down a three.
Western Michigan was able to stick around, until Halee Printz knocked down a huge three right before the 5:46 media timeout, giving the Rockets the lead, 58-52.
After Breanna Mobley knocked down a free throw for the Broncos, Bravo-Harriot fed Sophie Reecher in the post for a layup and one. It was Reechers first points of the night.
Hill made a layup, but Toledo immediately responded with a Bravo-Harriot three, giving them their largest lead of the night, 64-55.
Behind some stingy defense from WMU, they were able to make it a two point game on a Meredith Shipman 3 with 1:16 to play.
Bravo-Harriott hit 5 out of 6 free throws the rest of the way, to give the Rockets the win, 72-66.
Marley Hill led the Broncos with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Breanna Mobley just missed a double double with 9 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets got a monster game from Jay Bravo-Harriott, who scored 25, added 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Mikaela Boyd added 20 points and 9 rebounds.
The Rockets move to 15-7 on the season, 6-5 in the MAC. They host Bowling Green next.
Western Michigan drops to 14-8, 5-6 in conference play. They head east to play Central Michigan next.