"MAC Tournament, Bulls won't be fooled again"

For the second year in a row the women's basketball team will take on the Toledo Rockets in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Last year the Bulls never fully recovered from fouls early on and, despite a close game, lost by 12.

This year, the ladies are preparing for their rematch.

For the first time in MAC history, the entire tournament will be played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Previously, the first round was played at campus sites.

"Now that the conference tournament is played on a neutral floor, I think anything can happen," said Bulls head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "It doesn't give anybody that home-court advantage. It really levels the playing field."

The Bulls (10-18, 5-11 MAC) look to rebound from a loss to Kent State (15-12, 11-5) that concluded the regular season. Buffalo finished as the No. 5 seed for the East Division.

The Rockets (10-18, MAC 6-10) are fresh off a win over the Western Michigan Broncos. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday. Toledo finished with the same conference record as Western Michigan (13-17, 6-10), yet secured the No. 4 seed in the West Division by taking the season series against the Broncos.

On Jan. 20, the Rockets hosted Buffalo in their only meeting of the season. Toledo won in overtime, 85-77. Junior guard Stephanie Bennett led the Bulls with 19 points in that match-up, while Toledo guard Danielle Bishop had a game-high 22 points.

"We're facing a team that we took into overtime on their home court," Hill-MacDonald said. "We're optimistic about our ability to advance past the first round.

That meeting was more than a month ago, and the Bulls have made changes that they hope will give them the edge.

"We're playing much better defensively," Hill-MacDonald said. "We're taking better care of the basketball. Those are two very huge factors."

The heavy favorite to win the tournament is the East's No. 1 seed Bowling Green (26-3, 15-1). They are ranked 19th in the latest Associated Press rankings. The Falcons are the two time defending tournament champions. Before their loss to Ohio this season, Bowling Green had won 39 straight games over MAC opponents, including conference tournament contests.

"They are pretty tough to stop," Hill-McDonald said. "They have great shooters on the floor. There are a lot of them to defend, so you have to have one of your best defensive games."

The first two rounds of the tournament will be played on Sunday and Tuesday, followed by the semifinals and the finals taking place on Friday March 9 and Saturday March 10. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.