AKRON, OH – Toledo sustained an 81-71 setback at Akron on Wednesday in Mid-American Conference action in James A. Rhodes Arena. The loss snapped UT's four-game winning streak and dropped the Midnight Blue & Gold to 9-8 overall, 4-2 in the league.

Senior Brenae Harris paced three Rockets in double figures with 26 points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists. Harris knocked down 10 field goals and six free throws to score at least 20 points for the eighth time in her collegiate career.

Freshman Kaayla McIntyre added a season-high 15 points with seven boards off the bench and sophomore Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott had 10 points in a losing effort.
As a team, the Rockets shot 39.1 percent (27-of-69) from the field, including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from three-point range, and 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the charity stripe to suffer their fifth straight setback to the Zips (10-7, 4-2 MAC).

Anita Brown led Akron with a game-high 29 points, followed by Hannah Plybon with 20 and DiAndra Gibson chipped 15, respectively. The home team also received eight points and a contest-best 14 caroms from Greta Burry.

The Zips also forced UT with committing 19 turnovers, which they translated into 21 points.

The Rockets were their own worst enemy at the outset and victimized by seven miscues, which dug them an early 12-5 deficit at the 5:21 mark. The home team scored nine points off UT's turnovers to help them build an early three-possession lead.

Toledo's deficit grew to as many as 10 points in the opening quarter, before the MAC West Division co-leaders closed the period on a 7-2 burst to trim the margin to 19-14. Harris sparked the rally with a pair of jumpers to make it a five-point difference at the end of 10 minutes of play.

The Rockets' clawed their way within a single point, 20-19, early in the second stanza before Akron rattled off eight of the next 10 to create a 28-21 advantage with 6:35 left before intermission. Brown triggered the run with five points, while Lauren Hung accounted for the others with a trey to create some separation.

UT quickly retaliated with a 12-5 rally over the next three-plus minutes to knot the score at 33-33 at the 3:29 mark, forcing UA into calling a timeout. McIntyre was responsible for seven of the points in the run to tie the score for the first time.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, the stoppage in play greatly benefited Akron. The home team scored nine of the final 12 points to conclude the half and assumed a 42-36 lead at the intermission. The big points in the late rally were two free throws and a layup by the Zips' Brown with less than one second remaining on the clock to give the home team a six-point advantage at the break. It proved to be a lead they would not relinquish.

UA's Brown continued to dominate play in the beginning stages of the third period, scoring seven quick points in the first five minutes of competition after halftime. The Warren, OH native was credited with a pair of jumpers and a traditional three-point play to prompt UT into calling a timeout with the score 53-44.

Toledo's deficit remained at least seven points for the rest of the third quarter, and the visitors found themselves behind 56-49 after 30 minutes of play.

The Rockets showed some spark to start the final period, scoring eight of the first 11 points to make it a two-point difference, 59-57, with 7:23 left in regulation. Harris registered six of the points in the rally to pull within one possession.

UT had four chances to tie the score or take the lead in the ensuing two-plus minutes, but each time the visitors were denied. The Rockets had two missed shots and had two turnovers during this crucial stretch.

The Zips then sealed the game with Plybon's fourth triple and Brown followed with a traditional three-point play to rebuild the cushion to eight points, 65-57, at the 4:45 mark. Akron put the finishing touches on the home triumph by tallying its last 14 points at the charity stripe.

The closest UT would get the remainder of the contest was seven points on two occasions in the waning moments of regulation.

The Rockets will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 23 when they travel to MAC West Division rival Eastern Michigan (12-5, 3-3 MAC). The opening tip versus the Eagles is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Convocation Center and can be seen on BCSN.
 
UT and EMU will square off for the first of two times this year and 77th time overall. Toledo holds a 46-30 advantage in the all-time series, but has split the last 10 meetings against its division rival.
 
A year ago, the teams split two regular-season meetings with the away squad winning on the opponents' home court. EMU secured a 75-61 victory in Savage Arena (Jan. 24), before UT responded with an 81-72 triumph in the Convocation Center (Feb. 21). The division rivals then met for a third time in the second round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, with the Eagles registering a 74-57 neutral-court win (March 11).