TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (9-2) will open Mid-American Conference play against West Division rival Ball St. (7-5) on Saturday, Dec. 31 at home. Tip-off time is set for Noon in Savage Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
UT and BSU have been pegged to finish tied for second in the MAC West Division, according to a preseason vote of the league's 12 head coaches.
The Rockets have begun the year winning nine of their opening 11 games for the first time since 2012-13. UT's nine non-conference victories are tied for third most in school annals in a single season before league play starts.
Toledo, which is No. 20 in this week's collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, is coming off a hard-fought 72-66 victory against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21 at home.
Freshman
Mariella Santucci paced three Rockets in double figures with 15 points, to go along with a game-tying best six helpers and three thefts in 35 minutes.
Joining Santucci in double figures with senior
Janice Monakana and sophomore
Kaayla McIntyre with 13 points each. Monakana and McIntyre did a majority of their damage on the interior, helping Toledo post a commanding 46-28 edge in points in the paint against the Horizon League member Titans.
UT also received eight points apiece from sophomore
Olivia Cunningham and freshman
Sara Rokkanen, as well as seven points and a career-tying best 10 boards from sophomore
Mikaela Boyd.
As a team, Toledo shot an efficient 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor, with Monakana and McIntyre spearheading that effort with 11 field goals from close range.
Defensively, the Rockets forced Detroit Mercy into committing 24 turnovers and finished with a decisive 26-6 edge in points off turnovers, as well as a 12-2 advantage in fast break points.
Toledo, which is 5-1 at home, is fueled offensively by the trio of junior
Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, Boyd, Monakana and Santucci, who are averaging 13.6, 10.5, 10.3 and 9.6 ppg, respectively.
BSU enters tomorrow's league opener on the heels on an impressive 93-49 home victory against Urbana on Dec. 28. Moriah Monaco led three Cardinals in double digits with 22 points and seven caroms.
Ball State features a balance offense with four players averaging at least 10.0 points per game paced by Renee Bennett's 16.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg, followed by Monaco's 14.6 ppg.
UT and BSU will square off for the first of two meetings this year and 76th time overall. The Rockets have dropped the last five match-ups against their division rivals but still hold a 52-23 advantage in the all-time series, including a 27-8 edge in home games. A season ago, BSU swept the regular-season series for the second-straight year, claiming a 75-69 home victory (Jan. 2) and a 68-58 road triumph (March 5).
The Rockets are 22-13 (.629) all-time in MAC openers. UT and BSU have also squared off in league openers on five occasions (2005, '06, '07, '11 and '16), with the Rockets winning three of the match-ups.
Following tomorrow's contest, Toledo will travel to MAC West Division foe Eastern Michigan (5-7) on Wednesday, Jan. 4. The opening tip versus the Eagles is slated for 7:00 p.m. in the Convocation Center and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
