Rockets Defeat Radford, Play Duke In Duke Classic Championship

Courtesy of Toledo Sports Information

Junior guard Courtney Risinger scored a career high 36 points today against Radford in the opening round of the Duke Classic

Durham, NC (November 25) - Junior guard Courtney Risinger tallied a career-high 36 points to lead an inspired Toledo squad to an 87-48 victory against Radford in the opening round of the Duke Classic in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Risinger connected on 14-of-19 field goal attempts, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and made a perfect 4-of-4 free throws. With the win, Toledo improves to 2-0, while Radford falls to 1-4.

"This was a good win for our team," said Toledo Head Coach Mark Ehlen. "We did a lot of good things out there today. We shot the ball well at times, especially off the dribble, and took advantage of some Radford turnovers. I'm very happy with our performance."

The Rockets led from the opening tip, as senior Kahli Carter got things rolling with a lay up just 0:16 seconds into the contest. After the two teams exchanged buckets, Highlanders Kylie Williamson drained a three-pointer to cut the lead to 6-5 at 17:33 and that would be as close as Radford would get. Over the next 7:00 minutes, Toledo would go on a 15-5 run to make the score 23-11 and put the game out of reach. In that run, Risinger would hit for seven points. UT would continue to put the pressure on behind Risinger's precision shooting from everywhere on the court and built up its largest lead of the first half at 46-20 on a layup by Risinger at 3:08. Toledo would shot 55.3 percent (21-38) in the first 20 minutes with Risinger hitting 10-of-14 for 24 points. The Terre Haute, IN native scored as many points in the first stanza as the entire Radford team. Ten of the 21 Rocket baskets came on lay-ups inside.

While the Rockets had the momentum going into the locker room, the Highlanders tried to regroup. Radford tried to keep pace with the much quicker Toledo squad in the second half, but UT never gave up its intensity and the lead. Toledo would get equal scoring in the second half, as seven Rockets got their names in the scoring column. Risinger again led the way with 12 second-half points.

Risinger's 36 points and 14 field goals are the fourth-most in school history. Kim Sekulski scored 42 points and drained 16 buckets against Bowling Green on February 20, 1991 for the Toledo record.

"Courtney played a great game," said Ehlen. "She stepped it up when she had to. She got some good looks at the hoop today and made the defense pay. This was good for her confidence and for the our team as a whole."

All 11 Rockets played with 10 getting into the scoring column. Risinger though was the only Rocket in double figures. Carter and juniors Melantha Herron and Shekinah Brazzle each chipped in with nine, apiece. UT shot a season-high 50.0 percent (36-72) from the field and connected on 6-of-19 from three-point range. For the second straight game, Toledo dominated the boards, out-rebounding it opponents, 43-26 and 17-9 on the offensive glass. The Midnight Blue and Gold also dished out 19 assists and recorded 20 steals. The last time a Toledo team recorded 20 steals in a game came against Cleveland State on November 26, 1994.

Williamson led the Highlanders with 14 points and four rebounds.

This is the first 2-0 start for Toledo since 1996-97. That year they opened with wins over Eastern Michigan (93-63) and Detroit (93-62).

Toledo will play Duke on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in the championship game.

Rockets Defeat Radford, Play Duke In Duke Classic Championship

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