UT's Ingersoll did what leaders do when the going gets tough

UT's Courtney Ingersoll hits a 3-pointer as Lecretia Smith starts to celebrate. THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Courtney Ingersoll is about to get more ink than just about any player who ever scored a mere four points and took all of one shot during 20 minutes on the floor in the second half of a basketball game.

But it was the shot Toledo's women needed to go ahead of Bowling Green Saturday at Savage Arena.

And Ingersoll followed it with a defensive play the Rockets needed to win 52-50 before 5,131 fans.

BG coach Curt Miller repeated his thought that when UT brings its "A" game, the Rockets are the best team in the Mid-American Conference.

But you'd have to slide way down the alphabet to describe the game Toledo brought to the floor in the first half. The Rockets shot 32 percent, far worse from 3-point range, and were hammered on the boards. They trailed 33-20.

Ingersoll would admit she was a big part of that. After scoring a combined 43 points in UT's previous two wins, she had zero on 0-for-3 shooting in the first half of this one.

Her next attempt would not come for 18 minutes and 52 seconds.

Toledo had fought back to within 50-48 thanks to Yolanda Richardson inside and Andola Dortch's shooting, driving, and passing. Not to forget Inma Zanoguera's big 10 points off the bench. Both Miller and UT coach Tricia Cullop called her the X factor.

To that point, Ingersoll had been the Z factor -- zero points for the game, zero shots in the second half.

Then it all changed. The Rockets dumped the ball into Richardson at the low post, Lecretia Smith set a screen to free Ingersoll, Richardson whipped the ball back out behind the 3-point arc, and Ingersoll drew nothing but net. Toledo led 51-50, its first advantage since 2-0 and after trailing by as many as 14 points.

"I thought Jasmine Matthews guarded Courtney better than anyone had all year," Miller said. "Man, did we do a good job on her the entire game. But that's what a senior who's having a great year does. We made one big mistake, she hits the 3, and it was a back-breaker."

Ingersoll admitted that her team seemed intimidated and that she was frustrated at halftime, but that assistant coaches Nitra Perry and Katie Griggs got in her ear.

"They told me to do the little things, get some steals, some boards, make good passes, and that the rest would come to me," Ingersoll said.

It took a while, though.

"Jasmine was really, really good on defense," Ingersoll said, and that was gospel until Smith set the screen that separated shooter and defender. "It was like the seas parted. It was good to finally get an open look."

With 25 seconds left, Ingersoll ripped down a huge offensive rebound, was fouled, and made one free throw.

BG had one last chance. The play was for Alexis Rogers, the Falcons' fine post player, to get the ball outside, pop off a screen, and drive on Richardson, who is longer and stronger, but not quicker or more agile. Cullop, however, switched Dortch, who Miller suggested might be the league's best defender, onto Rogers and the quickness edge disappeared.

The play broke down and Rogers passed to Chrissy Steffen, who was suffocated, blanketed, smothered, throttled -- pick a word -- by Ingersoll. Steffen, who had a game-high 20 points, could do no more than heave a shot that missed everything and dribbled out of bounds as the horn sounded.

Miller blamed himself for the play selection knowing that UT does a lot of defensive switching, especially late in games. But the bottom line was the Falcons made just six field goals in the second half -- BG was 0-for-9 from 3-point range after intermission -- and scored just 17 points, so maybe this was destined to come down to a Toledo defensive stand.

And, in Cullop's mind, it was no surprise everything came down to Ingersoll.

Despite 39 minutes of court time and tired legs and obvious frustration at the offensive end, despite Ingersoll being the Z factor to that point, Cullop drew up the 3-point shot for her during a timeout just seconds before.

"Why not give a senior that opportunity in a rivalry game?" Cullop asked. "Why not let a senior win it or lose it? Courtney has really emerged as our leader, our take-charge player. She's a winner."

And, on this day, she went from zero to hero.

Contact Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg at: dhack@theblade.com or 419-724-6398.