Toledo Runs Away From Belmont in Fourth Quarter, 78-69

Thursday, November 29

Nashville, Tenn.

11:00 A.M. (CT)

University of Toledo

4-2

Belmont

4-2

Toledo

BELMONT

Junior Mariella Santucci scored 16 of her team-high 22 points in the fourth period at Belmont.

Photo by: Max Minor

Toledo Runs Away From Belmont in Fourth Quarter, 78-69

11/29/2018 3:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Toledo secured an impressive 78-69 victory over Ohio Valley Conference power Belmont on Thursday before a school-record 2,461 fans in the Curb Event Center. With the win, UT improves to 4-2 on the season.

The Rockets outscored the Bruins 33-24 in the pivotal fourth quarter to help them post their second-straight road triumph.

Junior Mariella Santucci sparked the strong final period pouring in 16 of her career-high 22 points to help her surpass the 20-point barrier for a second-consecutive game. Santucci was responsible for four field goals and seven charity tosses during the final stretch to snap Belmont's (4-2) four-game winning streak.

Senior Mikaela Boyd, junior Sara Rokkanen and sophomore Nakiah Black added 12 points each in a winning effort, while senior Kaayla McIntyre had 10.

As a team, the Rockets shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the floor, including an impressive 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from three-point land, and a season-best 78.6 percent (22-of-28) from the free throw line to run their record to 9-0 all-time against OVC schools.

Ellie Harmeyer led BU with a game-high 26 points, followed by Darby Maggard and Maddie Cook with 16 and 10, respectively. The Bruins entered today's non-conference game ranked No. 8 in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.

FIRST QUARTER
• The Rockets sprinted out to a 24-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes, shooting a blistering 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the field. They had a whopping seven players find the scoring column at the outset.

• Rokkanen sparked UT's electric start with a pair of treys, while Black had five points, as the visitors produced their highest first-quarter point total on the year. Their previous-best effort was 19 points vs. Duquesne on Nov. 18.

SECOND QUARTER
• They Rockets were limited to six points in the quarter, but they still maintained a 30-25 lead at the intermission. UT had only two baskets and a pair of free throws in the stanza after making 10 field goals in the first period.

• Santucci contributed four of UT's six points to help the 2018 Postseason WNIT participants hold a five-point advantage at the break.

THIRD QUARTER
• Rokkanen buried two more triples in the third quarter to equal her career high, as the score was knotted 45-45 heading into the final 10 minutes. The Helsinki, Finland native has now made four three-point field goals on three occasions as a Rocket.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Santucci carried the Rockets early on in the final period, accounting for eight of their first 12 points to put them in front 57-52 at the 5:58 mark. The Bologna, Italy native knocked down three baskets and split a pair of free throws to put her in double figures for the fourth time this year.

• Belmont closed the gap to three points within the next minute, but UT responded with a game-sealing 8-1 burst to make the difference 65-55 with 2:35 left in regulation. Santucci and McIntyre accounted for four points each during this pivotal run to break the backs of the Bruins.

• The Rockets then closed the game out at the free-throw line, scoring their final 15 points at the stripe to post the impressive road victory.

UP NEXT
• Toledo will venture to American Athletic Conference (AAC) member Memphis (1-4) on Saturday, Dec. 1. The opening tip vs. the Tigers is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. (CT) in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

• UT and Memphis will meet for the second time on the hardwood. The Rockets claimed a 71-68 overtime triumph against the Tigers on Jan. 4, 2008 in the FedEx Forum.