Toledo Wraps Up MAC Cross-Division Play at Miami on Wednesday

Wednesday, February 7

Oxford, Ohio

7:00 P.M.

University of Toledo

Miami

Senior Michaela Rasmussen and the Rockets have won the last 11 match-ups against Miami.

Photo by: Toledo Athletics

Toledo Wraps Up MAC Cross-Division Play at Miami on Wednesday

2/6/2018 10:37:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes vs. Miami (PDF)

OXFORD, Ohio - Toledo (15-8, 6-5 MAC) will play its final regular-season game against a Mid-American Conference East Division opponent on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Miami (14-8, 6-5 MAC). Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Millett Hall and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

The Rockets have tallied a 2-4 (.333) record against cross-division foes this year and are 57-22 (.722) over the last nine-plus seasons under head coach Tricia Cullop.

UT currently sits tied for third place in the MAC West Division standings and will look to remove the sour taste in its mouth from Saturday's 84-73 setback against MAC East Division leader Buffalo (17-4, 8-2 MAC) before a season-high 4,613 fans in Savage Arena.

Junior Kaayla McIntyre paced the 2017 MAC Champions with a career-high 30 points, topping her previous-best effort of 25 at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 6, 2018.

Classmate Mikaela Boyd was the only other Rocket in double figures, finishing with 13 points and a team-high nine boards in a squad-best 34 minutes.

As a team, UT shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the field, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from three-point land. Unfortunately for the Midnight Blue & Gold, those respectable shooting numbers were overshadowed by a conference-season low 45.5 percent (10-of-22) performance from the charity stripe. This came on the heels of a season-best 86.4 percent (19-of-22) effort at the line against Western Michigan last Wednesday.

Cierra Dillard led a balanced Buffalo attack with 21 points, followed by Summer Hemphill with 18, Cassie Oursler had 15 and Stephanie Reid contributed 13, respectively.

Hemphill added a game-high 13 caroms and Oursler had nine to help UB secure its first victory ever in Savage Arena in 12 games.

Dillard, Hemphill and Oursler did a majority of their damage on the interior, as Buffalo posted a 66-38 edge in points in the paint to sweep the regular-season series against the Rockets.

McIntyre, senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and Boyd continue to lead UT offensively, scoring 15.4, 12.3 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. In MAC games, the aforementioned group is contributing a whopping 66.1 percent (489 of 740) of Toledo's scoring.

The Rockets, who are 6-6 away from home, will have a challenge on their hands, as Miami has won four games in a row. On Saturday against Bowling Green, the RedHawks earned a hard-fought 66-62 road victory behind a game-high 24 points and eight assists from MAC Player of the Year candidate Lauren Dickerson.

Savannah Kluesner added 12 points and eight boards, while Leah Purvis had 10 points, all of which came in the second half.

The RedHawks feature an offense with three players averaging at least eight points per game fueled by Dickerson's league-tying best 21.4 ppg, 5.4 apg and 2.0 spg. Miami is 8-2 at home this season.

Toledo and Miami will meet for the only time this year and 64th time overall. The Rockets lead the all-time series, 38-25, winning the last 11 match-ups by an average of 12.0 ppg (68.7-56.7) since the 2008-09 campaign.

The RedHawks hold a 16-14 edge in games played in Millett Hall, but the Midnight Blue & Gold has won the last five meetings away from home.

A season ago, UT claimed a 64-50 victory in Savage Arena (Jan. 7).

Miami's most recent victory against the Rockets occurred in the 2008 MAC Tournament Semifinals when it secured a 70-66 neutral-court decision in Quicken Loans Arena (March 14).

Following tomorrow's contest, Toledo will remain on the road and travel to MAC West Division frontrunner Central Michigan (18-3, 10-0 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 10. Game time versus the Chippewas is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in McGuirk Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

UT and CMU will square off for the first of two match-ups during the regular season and 80th time overall. The Rockets will host the Chippewas on Saturday, March 3 at 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena.

Toledo leads the all-time series, 48-31, and has won five of the last six contests against its division rival. UT also holds a slim 19-17 advantage in games played in McGuirk Arena.

A year ago, Toledo and Central Michigan split their two regular-season meetings with the home team emerging victorious both times. UT claimed a 74-72 victory in the friendly confines of Savage Arena (Jan. 28), before suffering a 72-61 setback in McGuirk Arena (Feb. 18).