WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Toledo earned a hard-fought 81-76 victory over Southern in the second round of the West Palm Invitational on Monday in the Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center. With the win, UT improves to 8-3 on the season.
 
A season-high four Rockets scored in double figures against the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member Jaguars (2-7), led by senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott with a season-best 17 points. UT also received 16 points from junior Kaayla McIntyre, 15 by classmate Mikaela Boyd and a career-high 14 from sophomore Sara Rokkanen, as the 2017 Mid-American Conference champions successfully bounced back from yesterday's loss to Western Kentucky.
 
As a team, the Rockets shot an efficient 50.0 percent (27-of-54) from the field, including 41.7 percent (season-high 10-of-24) from three-point land, and 77.3 percent (17-of-22) from the charity stripe to run their all-time record to 60-51 in pre-conference tourney games.
 
Briana Green paced Southern with 19 points, followed by Skylar O'Bear (14 pts.), Courtney Parsons (12 pts.) and Samantha Duncan (10 pts.).
 
UT benefited from a pair of early triples from Bravo-Harriott and one by Rokkanen to help the visitors on the scoreboard assume a 16-14 lead after the opening 10 minutes. UT shot an impressive 3-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first period to put them in front by two points.
 
Toledo continued to shoot the ball well from three-point range in the second quarter, knocking down three more treys to give the Midnight Blue & Gold a 36-30 advantage at the intermission. Three different Rockets were credited with three-point field goals in the stanza, including Bravo-Harriott's third of the game, to help them take a two-possession lead into the break.
 
With UT shooting the ball well from the perimeter in the opening half, Southern extended its defense in the third quarter and the Rockets' frontcourt cashed in on its opportunities. Twelve of its 19 points in the period came in the paint, as Toledo held a 55-48 lead after 30 minutes of action. Redshirt freshman Tanaya Beacham spearheaded the inside attack with a trio of layups, while McIntyre notched a pair to make it a seven-point difference heading into the final stanza.
 
SU did not go down without a fight, though, and utilized a 17-5 run over the course of the third and fourth quarters to take its first lead, 59-58, with 7:09 left in regulation. Five different Jaguars tallied points in the burst to prompt the Rockets to call a timeout.
 
UT benefited from the stoppage in play and rattled off 10 of the next 12 points to retake the advantage, 68-61, at the 4:29 mark. McIntrye started the game-deciding rally with her five points, followed by a Boyd jumper and a triple from Rokkanen finished it off to give Toledo a lead it would not surrender.
 
Toledo finished with 21 assists on its 27 field goals and knocked down a season-high 10 triples to top the 80-point barrier for the first time this season and win its first-ever match-up against Southern.
 
The Rockets will return to the court on Thursday, Dec. 21 when they wrap up non-conference play at Detroit Mercy (0-9). The opening tip against the Horizon League member Titans is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Calihan Hall.

UT will square off against UDM for the fifth time in the last six years and 28th time overall. Toledo holds an 18-9 advantage in the all-time series and has won five of the last six meetings, including a 72-66 home triumph on Dec. 21, 2016.