The Mid-American Conference will have a new women’s basketball champion.
No. 2 seed Ball State women’s basketball was stunned by 6-seed Toledo, 69-65, in the MAC Tournament semifinals on Friday, March 13, at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bree Salenbien scored a career-high 34 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Cardinals to get past the Rockets and continue their title defense. Rockets senior Patricia Anumgba scored a season-high 29 points to lead Toledo into the title game.
Toledo will take on No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio) in the MAC Championship on Saturday, March 14, at 11 a.m. ET.
Below are our live updates from Ball State women’s basketball taking on Toledo in the semifinals of the MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Ball State vs Toledo MAC women’s basketball tournament score, updates
FINAL: Toledo 69, Ball State 65
No. 6 seed Toledo stunned the No. 2 seed Cardinals in the MAC Tournament semifinals and will play No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio) in the conference championship tomorrow. Patricia Anumgba scored a season-high 29 points to lead Toledo. Bree Salenbien’s career-high 34 points wasn’t enough for the Cardinals to overcome the Rockets.
Toledo 65, Ball State 63, 1:21 4th quarter
Ball State still trails as this one comes down to the wire. Bree Salenbien has tied her career high with 32 points. Timeout, Toledo.
Toledo 61, Ball State 60, 4:57 4th quarter
A converted and-1 by Bree Salenbien puts Ball State within one point with five minutes left to play. Salenbien leads the Cardinals with 29 points.
End 3rd: Toledo 52, Ball State 49
Toledo leads by three points heading into the final 10 minutes. Karsyn Norman gave the Cardinals some momentum by knocking down their first 3-pointer of the second half in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Toledo 42, Ball State 35, 5:27 3rd quarter
Brady Sallee used a timeout early in the second half as Toledo built a seven-point advantage. The Cardinals are just 3-for-9 from the field to start the third quarter, while the Rockets are 4-for-5 and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Halftime: Toledo 30, Ball State 29
Toledo leads at the break after finishing the first half on an 11-0 run. Ball State went scoreless over the last 4:51 of the second quarter while the Rockets got hot from 3-point range. Bree Salenbien leads the Cardinals with 11 points, while Karsyn Norman has nine points. Patricia Anumgba has 17 points for Toledo.
Ball State 29, Toledo 19, 4:21 2nd quarter
Ball State has built a double-digit lead over Toledo. Bree Salenbien is red-hot from long range — she has 11 points and is 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
End 1st: Ball State 19, Toledo 10
Ball State leads by nine at the first break. Bree Salenbien leads the Cardinals with eight points and Grace Kingery has five. Six of Ball State’s eight made field goals have come off assists, and the Cardinals blocked three shots in the first quarter.
Ball State 17, Toledo 6, 2:04 1st quarter
Ball State came out of the media timeout on fire and put together a quick 8-2 run. Bree Salenbien knocked down two 3-pointers in a row and has eight points so far to lead the Cardinals. Timeout, Toledo.
Ball State 9, Toledo 4, 4:10 1st quarter
Ball State leads by five at the first media timeout. The Cardinals are off to a slow start, getting good looks but struggling to convert. They are 4-for-12 from the field to start, but a 3-pointer from Grace Kingery before the media timeout could spark some more offense.
Cardinals and Rockets tip off in Cleveland
Ball State vs. Toledo in the MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals officially tipped off at 12:28 p.m. ET.
(This story will be updated as the game progresses. The estimated tip-off time is 12:30 p.m. ET.)
How to watch 2026 MAC basketball tournament
For the men’s tournament, all four first-round games are on ESPN+. The streaming platform is available through most major cable or streaming services; just use your login on that account to gain access to ESPN+. The men’s semifinal games then air on CBS Sports Network Friday, with the championship game to air on ESPN2.
Watch MAC basketball tournament
For the women, both the quarterfinals and semifinals will stream exclusively on ESPN+. The championship game Saturday morning will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State women’s basketball stunned by Toledo in MAC semifinals
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
