TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo ended the game with a 12-2 run to secure a 60-54 victory over Akron on Wednesday before 3,392 fans in Savage Arena. With the come-from-behind triumph, the Rockets improve to 10-4 overall, 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

UT trailed 52-48 with 2:23 left in regulation before going on the game-changing burst to extend its home-winning streak to 12-straight contests. 

Junior Mikaela Boyd started the late rally with a pair of throws at the 1:58 mark. Senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott then drilled her game-high third trey of the contest to give the lead back to the Midnight Blue & Gold for good with 1:10 left in regulation. 

The 2017 MAC Champions scored their next six points at the charity stripe over the ensuing 56 seconds to extend the margin to seven points, 59-52, with only 14 tix left on the clock. Junior Kaayla McIntyre accounted for half of the six points at the line, while Boyd had two and junior Sarah St-Fort tallied the other point to make it a three-possession difference.

Following an Akron basket, Bravo-Harriott finished off the scoring by splitting a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to make the final tally 60-54.

Bravo-Harriott paced the Rockets with a season-high 18 points and three steals, scoring in double figures for a season-high fourth-straight game. The two-time team captain is averaging an impressive 16.0 ppg during this recent stretch.

Boyd added her second double-double in as many games and third this season, finishing with 16 points, a contest-best 11 caroms and three thefts in a game-high 36 minutes. McIntyre rounded out UT's double-digit scorers with 14 points, seven boards and a squad-best four helpers.

Toledo's aforementioned terrific trio accounted for 48 of the 60 points (80.0 percent), 22 of the 34 rebounds (64.7 pecent) and seven of the 15 steals (46.7 percent) to propel the Midnight Blue & Gold to its third-consecutive triumph over the Zips (6-7, 0-2 MAC).  

As a team, the Rockets shot 42.0 percent (21-of-50) from the field, including 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from three-point range, and 65.0 percent (13-of-20) from the charity stripe. They also won the battle on the glass, sparked by the aggressive play of Boyd and McIntyre.

Shaunay Edmonds led Akron with 13 points, followed by Greta Burry and Alyssa Clay with nine and eight, respectively.

The Rockets broke open a back-and-forth game with a 9-1 burst early in the second quarter to create a 21-18 lead at the intermission. Boyd triggered the run with six points to give the home team a three-point advantage at the break.

Unfortunately for UT, the Zips opened the third period with an 11-4 run to take a 29-25 lead at the 5:55 mark. Caitlin Vari and Edmonds combined for nine of the 11 points to prompt Toledo Head Coach Tricia Cullop to call a timeout.

The Rockets' greatly benefited from the stoppage in play, as they reeled off 12 of the next 14 points to retake the advantage, 37-32, with 2:11 left in the third. Bravo-Harriott accounted for all but two points in the rally to make it a two-possession difference. The London, England native was credited with a pair of three-point field goals and a pair of long two-point baskets in a span of three-plus minutes.  

The MAC cross-division rivals then traded baskets for a majority of the fourth quarter with neither team holding more than a three-point edge until Akron's Haleigh Reinoehl and Clay buried back-to-back triples to put the visitors in front, 52-48, at the 2:23 mark, setting the stage for Toledo's late game-changing run.
  
The Rockets will return to the hardwood on Saturday travel to MAC West Division rival Eastern Michigan (5-8, 1-1 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 6. Game time versus the Eagles is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Convocation Center and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

UT has won the last two meetings against EMU after dropping four of the previous five games and holds a 48-32 advantage in the all-time series, including a 22-15 edge in games played in Ypsilanti. A season ago, Toledo swept the regular-season series, claiming a 66-49 road victory (Jan. 4) and a 65-57 home triumph (Feb. 22).


Highlights from UT's win against Akron.


Head Coach Tricia Cullop post-game.


Senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriot post-game.