UT women win FIU Thanksgiving Classic

The University of Toledo women’s basketball team spent Thanksgiving break in sunny Miami, Florida, capping off the FIU Thanksgiving Classic with a 69-54 victory over Arizona in Sunday’s championship matchup.

UT (3-2) senior guard Inma Zanoguera was chosen as Tournament MVP for her performance throughout the Classic.

Toledo used the tournament to experiment with Zanoguera at the point guard position, a trial run that proved to be a difference-maker for the Rockets.

Zanoguera averaged 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists throughout the weekend event, providing the game-winning three-point shot with five seconds left on the clock to give the Rockets a 64-62 victory against Virginia (4-1) in the opening game on Friday. It was the Cavaliers’ first loss of the season.

The Rockets relied heavily on their starting five, with four of them playing over 30 minutes each and the bench only managing 16 points the entire weekend.

In the championship game, Toledo was held to just 35 percent shooting from the field in the first half. The Rockets returned and shot 55 percent in the second half and UT’s defense held the Wildcats to a mediocre 32.8 percent from the field.

Toledo started the game off slow, trailing UA 11-4 in the first eight minutes of play before ending the half on an 18-6 run to create a 28-22 advantage heading into halftime.

“We kept them in the game the first half by missing our layups,” said UT head coach Tricia Cullop in a post-game interview. “We weren’t cutting hard enough; we weren’t taking our time with our shots and got out to a slow start, but the second half I thought we did a much better job.”

UT caged the Wildcats, allowing only one field goal in the final five and a half minutes of the half.

The Rockets opened the second half with a 7-0 run, jumping out to a 35-22 advantage. After the 5:57 mark, UT never let their advantage drop below double digits, finishing with a 15-point victory.

Junior Ana Capotosto provided 13 points with five rebounds. Zanoguera had a game and career- tying high in consecutive nights, with 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and a game- high four assists.

“For her first two games at point guard the kid had amazing stats,” Cullop said. “The thing that I hoped happened and that was to get the ball more in her hands and get her more scoring opportunities. She is a tremendous player.”

With the win, the Rockets claimed the tenth pre-conference tournament crown in school history.

To get to the championship game, however, UT had to pull off a comeback against previously undefeated Virginia.

With only 13 seconds left and the Rockets down by one, Zanoguera took the ball the length of the court before hitting the go-ahead trey from the left wing with only five seconds left on the clock.

The senior posted 10 assists to go along with 24 points for her 13th career double-double. Freshman Michaela Rasmussen added season highs in the victory, with 19 points and eight boards.

“She has no fear,” Cullop said of Rasmussen. “She plays like a junior or senior and we needed that this year. She’s just a lot of fun to coach; she doesn’t make excuses and is just a tough kid.”

Capotosto chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds in the victory.

The Rockets shot the ball the best they have so far this year, finishing with a season-high 47.8 percent from the field.

Toward the end of regulation against the Cavaliers, UT found themselves down 60-56 before ending the game on an 8-2 run.

Rasmussen kept the Rockets in the game by scoring 11 of the team’s 27 first-half points. UVA went on an 11-0 run late in the second half, which would propel them to a 33-27 lead at halftime.

With just over ten minutes remaining in the game, the Cavaliers stretched the margin to double digits. UT responded with an 8-2 run that forced Virginia into a timeout with just over six minutes remaining.

The timeout wasn’t enough to stop the Rockets from handing the Cavaliers their first loss of the year.

Toledo will look to keep the momentum in their favor when the Rockets travel to Dayton to take on the Flyers on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m.