KALAMAZOO, MI – Toledo earned a tough 80-68 victory at Western Michigan on Wednesday in University Arena. With the impressive road win, the Rockets improve to 11-9 overall, 6-3 in the Mid-American Conference.

UT put together a game-changing 21-5 run over the course of the third and fourth periods to sweep the regular-season series against the Broncos (13-9, 5-5 MAC) for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.

The Midnight Blue & Gold trailed 41-39 with 4:04 left in the third quarter before going on the game-changing burst. Junior Janice Manakana and freshman Kaayla McIntyre spearheaded the rally, combining for 14 points to give the visitors a lead they would not relinquish.

Monakana paced four Rockets in double figures with a career-high 25 points and a contest-best eight rebounds. The London, England native scored more than half her points at the charity stripe, draining a perfect 14-of-14 at the line, the third-best single-game effort in school history. 

The reigning MAC West Division Player of the Week also shot 4-of-9 from the field, including a season-high 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, to top the 20-point plateau for the second-straight game and fourth time in her collegiate career.

Senior Brenae Harris added 16 points, sophomore Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott had 13 and freshman Kaayla McIntyre totaled 12 off the bench to help Toledo reach at least 80 points for the fourth time this year. Two of the four efforts have come against WMU.

As a team, the Rockets shot 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field, including a sparkling 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from three-point land, and a flashy 87.5 percent (28-of-32) from the charity stripe. UT finished with a decisive 28-3 advantage at the free throw line to record its fifth-consecutive triumph over its MAC West Division rival.

Toledo also posted a commanding 35-24 edge on the glass, fueled by Monakana. Harris and McIntyre also pulled down five boards each.

Meredith Shipman led WMU with four triples and 22 points, while Jessica Jessing had 13.

The Broncos shot a respectable 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor, but they were guilty of 17 turnovers. Toledo took full advantage of those miscues and translated them into a season-high 23 points.

The Rockets started fast and hit six of their first eight shots from the floor, jumping out to a 12-4 lead at the 4:14 mark. UT did a good job spreading the wealth at the outset, as four different players were credited with baskets.

Bravo-Harriott continued to be dialed in offensively as the first period wore on, accounting for five-straight points to make UT's lead 19-15 at the conclusion of the opening stanza. Bravo-Harriott and the teammates shot a sizzling 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the field in the first 10 minutes.

WMU took advantage of layups from Miracle Woods, Alexis Parks and Shipman in the beginning moments of the second quarter to trim UT's advantage to 22-21, prompting the Rockets to call a timeout. The home team converted three of their first four field goal attempts to force Toledo to burn its second timeout with 6:36 left in the opening half.

Toledo's lead hovered at no more than three points for the next four minutes, until the Rockets rattled off eight of the final 12 points to take a 32-27 cushion into halftime. McIntyre started the late rally with a traditional three-point play, while Monakana accounted for the other five with a pair of charity tosses and her second triple of the contest.

Just like the second period, the Broncos started fast in the third and captured its first lead, 41-39, on the strength of layups from Alex Morton, Woods and Jessing at the 4:04 mark. WMU knocked down six of its initial eight shots from the floor to assume a two-point lead.

Following the media timeout, Toledo responded with its game-changing run to assume a 60-46 lead with 9:32 left in regulation. Monakana and McIntyre each accounted for seven points during his crucial stretch to turn a two-point deficit into a 14-point advantage. The Rockets also benefited from points by freshman Halee Printz, Monakana and Harris to recapture the advantage.

The Rockets' lead swelled to a game-high 16 points over the course of next couple of minutes before Western Michigan made one final push in the waning moments. The home team pulled within six points on two occasions, but UT converted 18-of-22 at the charity stripe in the fourth period to close out the impressive road triumph. Monakana was 10-of-10 at the free throw line in the quarter, while Harris was 6-of-8 and Bravo-Harriott finished 2-of-2. 

UT will remain on the road and travel to MAC East Division foe Kent St. (4-16, 1-9 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 6. The opening tip versus the Golden Flashes is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center.

Toledo claimed a 73-67 home victory over its cross-division opponent on Jan. 6.