TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo outscored Ohio 56-30 in the second half to catapult the Midnight Blue & Gold to a 75-67 victory on Wednesday before 3,229 fans in Savage Arena. With the win, the Rockets improve to 11-5 overall, 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

UT trailed the Bobcats, 27-19, at the intermission, before ripping off 25 points in the third period and an astounding 31 points in the fourth to snap a five-game losing skid in the series. The Rockets' monster second-half effort also extended their home winning streak to 13-consecutive games, tied for the seventh-longest home unbeaten stretch in school history.  

Junior Mikaela Boyd spearheaded Toledo's offense with 17 points and a career-high 19 caroms to post her fourth double-double this season. Boyd came close to notching only the second triple-double in program annals, as she dished out a season-high eight assists. Her 19 rebounds are tied for fifth most in UT history and the most since Inma Zanoguera ripped down 21 against Idaho in the first round of the Glass City Classic on Dec. 13, 2014.

Sophomore Mariella Santucci tallied 12 points off the bench, while senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and junior Kaayla McIntyre contributed 11 each. The 2017 MAC Champions also received nine points from sophomore Sara Rokkanen and eight by junior Sarah St-Fort to top the 70-point plateau for the first time in the last four games and sixth occasion this year.

Boyd was credited with 13 points in the second half, while Santucci scored all 12 and McIntyre totaled nine after the intermission to help the Rockets turn a nine-point halftime deficit into an impressive 18-point home triumph.

As a team, Toledo shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the field and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the charity stripe, but those numbers ballooned to 65.5 percent (19-of-29) and 77.8 (14-of-18) in the same categories in the final 20 minutes, respectively.

The Rockets also dominated the glass against Ohio (8-7, 2-2 MAC) and finished a season-high plus-29 (53-24) rebounding advantage, sparked by Boyd's and McIntyre's brilliant efforts with 19 and 10, respectively. 

Gabby Burris paced the Bobcats with 14 points off the bench before fouling out. Amani Burke added 13 points and a game-high four steals, while Taylor Agler had 11 points.    

UT benefited from five early points by Bravo-Harriott to take a 13-10 lead after 10 minutes. The London, England native knocked down a pair of field goals, including finishing off a traditional three-point play, to put the home team in front by three points.
  
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they went cold shooting the ball in the second period and were outscored 17-2 over the final eight-plus minutes. UT converted only 3-of-13 shots (23.1 percent) from the field and committed nine turnovers in the quarter, allowing Ohio to score 11 of its 17 points off miscues and making it an eight-point difference at the break, 27-19. 

Toledo came out of the locker room fired up in the third stanza, ripping off the first 11 points and 16 of the opening 20 to assume a 35-31 lead at the 5:48 mark. Six different Rockets were credited with baskets in the pivotal stretch to give the home squad a lead they would not surrender.

Ohio kept the game within striking distance heading into the final period, but Toledo quickly pulled away on the heels of a 12-2 run to make the tally 56-44 with 7:20 left in regulation. McIntyre and Rokkanen triggered the game-sealing burst by scoring all but three points to push UT's lead to double figures. 
    
Toledo's advantage would not sink below eight points for the remainder of regulation, as the Rockets put the finishing touches on a superb second half and an impressive home win. 
 
The Rockets will return to the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 13 when they entertain MAC West Division foe Northern Illinois (10-5, 2-2 MAC). Game time versus the Huskies is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

UT and NIU will meet for the first of two match-ups during the regular season and 53rd time overall. Toledo leads the all-time series, 33-19, and has won four of the last five meetings against its division foe. 

A year ago, the Rockets and Huskies split their two regular-season meetings with the away team emerging victorious both times. UT suffered a 77-73 setback in Savage Arena (Jan. 14), before claiming a 79-75 victory in the Convocation Center (March 1). The division rivals then met for a third time in the championship game of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, with the Midnight Blue & Gold registering an 82-71 neutral-court win (March 11).


Highlights from UT's victory against Ohio.


Head Coach Tricia Cullop post-game.


Junior Mikaela Boyd post-game.