KALAMAZOO, MI – Junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and sophomore Mikaela Boyd combined for 43 points to lead Toledo to a 72-66 victory at Western Michigan on Wednesday in University Arena. With the win, the Rockets improve to 15-7 overall, 6-5 in the Mid-American Conference.

Bravo-Harriott dropped in a season-tying best 23 points and Boyd contributed a career-high 20 to propel UT to its sixth-straight triumph over the Broncos (14-8, 5-6 MAC). The Rockets' dynamic backcourt duo shot a combined 15-of-27 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from three-point range, and 9-of-12 from the free throw, to go along with dishing out nine assists.

Bravo-Harriott was a one-person wrecking crew in the fourth quarter, tallying 13 of her team's 24 points to hold off a scrappy and resilient WMU squad.

With the London, England native dominating the final 10 minutes, Boyd was outstanding over the course of the opening three periods, scoring 19 of her points in the first 30 minutes.

The Rockets also received 12 points from sophomore Kaayla McIntyre to help them record their third win over the last four games.     

As a team, Toledo shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the field, including 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from beyond the arc, and an efficient 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the charity stripe to overtake WMU for fourth place in the ultra-competitive MAC West Division standings.

UT posted a 40-38 edge on the glass, spearheaded by nine caroms each from Boyd and McIntyre, followed closely by a season-high eight by Bravo-Harriott.

The Rockets also did a good job taking care of the basketball, finishing with 17 assists and 13 turnovers. That was a good ratio to see, as UT was coming off a season-low four dimes and a season-high 22 miscues at Ohio on Saturday. Bravo-Harriott also led that effort with a season-best six assists.

Marley Hill paced the Broncos with 25 points, while Breanna Mobley had nine points and a contest-best 10 boards.  

WMU looked good early and took advantage of 11 points from Hill to jump out to a 22-14 lead at the end of the first stanza. The 6-foot-2 center shot an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor, including burying a triple, to give the home team an early eight-point advantage.

Boyd kept the visitors within striking distance in the opening half, scoring a team-high 13 points to make it a two-possession deficit, 33-28, at the intermission. The Hillside, IL native was credited with six field goals and one free throw in the half, while playing all but two minutes.

Toledo came out of the break energized and benefited from six quick points by McIntyre to take its first lead since the opening minute, 40-38, at the 5:09 mark. The Toledo native converted three layups and played a big role in the visitors opening the period on a 12-5 run. Senior Janice Monakana also accounted for four points in the rally.

The Rockets continued to play with a chip on their shoulder and strung together a pivotal 9-2 run over the course of the third and fourth quarters to stretch their lead to 53-48 with 7:42 left in regulation. Bravo-Harriott sparked the burst with a layup and a trey from the corner to give the Rockets a lead they would not relinquish.    

Moments later, UT received three-point field goals from sophomore Halee Printz and Bravo-Harriott, as well a traditional three-point play by senior Sophie Reecher to extend the margin to a game-high nine points, 64-55, at the 4:25 mark.

The Broncos did not go down without a fight though, and closed with three points, 69-66, with 33 seconds remaining, but UT hit six of eight free throws over the final minute to close out the six-point road triumph. Bravo-Harriott did a bulk of the damage at the stripe, making five charity tosses to get Toledo out of town with its ninth win in its last 11 trips to Kalamazoo.    

The Rockets return to the hardwood on Saturday, Feb. 11 when they host arch-rival Bowling Green (6-17, 2-9 MAC). The opening tip versus the Falcons is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

UT and BGSU will square off for the only time regular season and the 76th time overall. The Falcons lead the all-time series, 42-33, but the Rockets have won six of the last seven meetings against their cross-division foe.

 A year ago, UT swept the regular-season series, claiming a 75-61 home victory (Jan. 30) and a 68-60 road win (Feb. 3). 

Toledo also maintains an 18-14 advantage in games played in Savage Arena and has won three of the last four meetings in Lucas County.