Toledo Travels to Ohio on Sunday for MAC Opener

Sunday, December 31

Athens, Ohio

1:00 P.M.

University of Toledo

Ohio

Senior Michaela Rasmussen and the Rockets will open MAC play at Ohio on Sunday.

12/29/2017 12:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes vs. Ohio (1)

ATHENS, OHIO - Toledo (9-3) will open Mid-American Conference play against East Division foe Ohio (6-5) on Sunday, Dec. 31 on the road. Tip-off time is set for 1:00 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

UT has been pegged second in the MAC West Division, while Ohio has been picked to finish third in the East Division, according to a preseason vote of the league's 12 head coaches.

Toledo has begun the season winning nine of its first 12 games for the second-straight year and 13th time in program history, tied for third most in school annals before league play starts. The program record is 12 victories prior to the start of MAC play in 2012-13, followed by 10 wins in 2009-10 and nine in 1989-90 and most recently 2016-17, respectively.

Toledo, which is No. 22 in this week's collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, is coming off an impressive 81-64 victory at Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21.

Junior Olivia Cunningham paced four Rockets in double figures with 19 points against the Horizon League member Titans, followed closely by senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott with 17. The 2017 MAC champions also received 14 points from junior Kaayla McIntyre and 11 by junior Mikaela Boyd to surpass the 80-point barrier for the second-straight contest.

Toledo also did a good job taking care of the basketball and finished with 23 assists, its second-highest total this year, compared to only 11 miscues. Boyd and sophomore Mariella Santucci were the catalysts of Toledo's high-powered attack, dishing out a season-high seven and five helpers, respectively.

With the offense running efficiently, the Rockets were solid defensively and forced 15 turnovers, translating those miscues into 22 points.

Toledo, which is 4-3 away on the road, is fueled offensively by the trio of McIntyre, Bravo-Harriott, Cunningham and Boyd, who are averaging 14.3, 11.7, 9.8 and 9.2 ppg, respectively.

McIntyre currently leads the MAC in overall field-goal percentage (.651, 71-of-109) and rejections (1.8 bpg).

Ohio enters Sunday's league opener on the heels of a 72-65 home victory against North Carolina A&T on Thursday. Amani Burke led the Bobcats with 18 points and three steals, followed by Cierra Hooks with 14 points and a squad-best seven caroms.

Ohio, which is 3-2 at home, features a balanced offense with five players averaging at least 8.0 points per game paced by Burke's 13.5 ppg, followed by Hooks' 12.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.3 spg.

UT and Ohio will meet for the first of two match-ups over the next week-and-a-half and 69th time overall. Toledo leads the all-time series, 44-24, but has lost the last four meetings against its cross-division foe. The Rockets have also split the six contests against the Bobcats in the Convo and are 15-16 all-time in games played in Athens. A season ago, Ohio swept the regular-season series, claiming a 64-55 road victory (Jan. 18) and a 61-55 home win (Feb. 4).

The Rockets are 22-14 (.611) all-time in MAC openers, including an 11-10 (.524) ledger when beginning league action away from home. UT and Ohio have also squared off in league openers on three occasions (1983, '88 and '93), with the Rockets winning one of the road match-ups.

Following Sunday's MAC opener, the Rockets will host East Division foe Akron (6-5) on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Game time versus the Zips is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

A year ago, Toledo claimed a 61-57 road victory against the Zips during the regular season (Feb. 15). The cross-division foes also squared off in the opening round of the conference tourney, with UT securing a 65-37 home triumph (March 6).