DEKALB, Ill. - Toledo (17-11, 8-8 MAC) will look to bounce back from a tough loss on Wednesday, Feb. 28 when the Midnight Blue & Gold ventures to Mid-American Conference West Division rival Northern Illinois (14-13, 6-10 MAC). Tip-off time is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT) in the Convocation Center and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

UT is currently in sixth place in the overall MAC standings and sits one game behind Ohio (15-12, 9-7 MAC) for the fifth spot with only two regular-season contests remaining. The Rockets and Bobcats split a pair of regular-season match-ups with each team protecting their homecourt. If the squads finish tied in the overall standings, UT would win the tiebreaker as it defeated higher seed Ball State (23-4, 12-4 MAC).  

Regardless of its spot in the final standings, Toledo will host a first-round contest in the MAC Tournament on Monday, March 5. If the regular season ended before tomorrow's division match-up, UT would be the No. 6 seed and host No. 11 seed Bowling Green (10-17, 2-14 MAC).

The Rockets are coming of a 78-73 setback against BSU on Saturday in Worthen Arena. 

UT trailed BSU 67-54 heading into the final period before ripping off the first 10 points to make it a one-possession affair, 67-64, at the 4:10 mark. 

The Cardinals' Jasmin Samz temporarily stopped Toledo's momentum with a layup, but the 2017 MAC Champions countered with a mini 9-4 burst to draw the teams even at 73-73 with 19 seconds left. Junior Mikeala Boyd was credited with five of the nine points to complete the comeback.   

Toledo unfortunately was unable to generate any additional points, while BSU's Carmen Grande knocked down 5-of-6 free throws in the waning seconds to account for the game's final tallies. The Rockets misfired on a pair of shots and had a turnover on their final three possessions.

Boyd led UT with a season-high 24 points, a contest-best 12 boards, three helpers and a game-high four steals to post her team-high 10th double-double on the year.

Senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott added 19 points and junior Kaayla McIntyre had 14, as the Rockets' two-game winning streak came to an end.

UT, which is 6-9 in road games, possesses an attack with McIntyre, Bravo-Harriott and Boyd averaging 15.8, 13.0 and 12.2 ppg, respectively. The trio is accounting for 68.0 percent (726 of 1,067) of Toledo's scoring in league contests.

Toledo will take on a NIU squad which has won four of its last six games, including an 84-75 road triumph at Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Mikayla Voigt led the Huskies with 26 points, followed closely by Courtney Woods with 23 points, a team-high eight boards and a contest-best nine dimes. 

Northern Illinois, which holds a 6-4 ledger at home, features four players tallying at least 10.5 ppg and is led by Woods' MAC-best 21.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 1.3 spg.

UT and NIU will meet for the second time this year and 54th time overall. The Rockets secured a 63-60 home victory against NIU on Jan. 13 in Savage Arena.

Toledo leads the all-time series, 34-19, and has won five of the last six contests against its division rival. The Huskies hold a slim 13-11 advantage in games played in the Convocation Center, but the Rockets have won the last two meetings on the road. 

A year ago, Toledo registered a 79-75 triumph in the Convocation Center (March 1).

Following tomorrow's contest, Toledo will wrap up the regular season at home against Central Michigan (23-4, 15-1 MAC) on Saturday, March 3. Game time versus the Chippewas is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

Prior to Saturday's regular-season finale, UT's four seniors - Michaela Rasmussen, Jada Woody, Nancy Kessler and Bravo-Harriott - will be honored. The Rockets will also recognize senior student managers Jessica Paige and Brianna Stewart, as well as senior student athletic trainer Krisha Conley as part of their pre-game festivities.

UT and CMU will meet for the second time this year and 81st time overall. The Rockets dropped an 85-47 decision against the Chippewas on Feb. 10 in McGuirk Arena.

Toledo leads the all-time series, 48-32, and has won five of the last seven contests against its division rival. UT has also won the last three meetings at home and holds a 27-11 advantage in games played in the friendly confines of Savage Arena.   

A season ago, UT claimed a 74-72 home victory (Jan. 28).