Toledo took on Iowa State in the fourth quarter to become the second No. 12 seed in the women’s NCAA tournament to upset a No. 5 on Saturday afternoon.
The Rockets defeated the Cyclones 80–73 after outscoring Iowa State by 10 in the second quarter. That quarter gave Toledo a seven-point lead at halftime, and Toledo extended its lead to 15 in the third quarter before Iowa State pulled away.
The Cyclones cut Toledo’s lead to five with 7:17 remaining, but never got the game together in a single possession after all thanks to Toledo’s excellent free-throw shooting. As Iowa State fouled Toledo in the final minute to tie the game, Toledo continued to make their free throws.
Toledo entered the game as one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country. Toledo led the MAC at 78% from the line during the regular season and was 13-of-16 from the stripe on Saturdays.
The win is the first tournament win for Toledo since 1996 and came against longtime Toledo coach Bill Facinelli. The Iowa State coach was in Toledo from 1988–1995 and led the Rockets to three NCAA tournament appearances before being hired by ISU prior to the 1995–96 season.
