TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo (8-3) will tip off its 38th season of Mid-American Conference play against West Division rival Ball State on Saturday, Jan. 5 in Savage Arena. The MAC West Division showdown is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed on ESPN3.

UT has been pegged to finish second in the ultra-competitive MAC West Division, while BSU has been picked fifth, according to a preseason vote of the league's 12 head coaches and their respective athletic communication directors.
 
The Rockets are 22-15 (.595) all-time in MAC openers, including an 11-5 (.688) ledger when beginning league action at home.

Last season, the Midnight Blue & Gold dropped a 78-61 road decision at Ohio to suffer a third-straight loss in its conference opener.

UT and BSU have also squared off in league openers on six occasions (2005, '06, '07, '11, '16 and '17), with the Rockets winning three (2005, '06 and '11) of the match-ups.

Toledo, which appears at No. 23 in this week's collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, enters conference play on the heels of a 75-41 home victory against Tiffin on Dec. 30 in an exhibition contest. 

Senior Kaayla McIntyre paced a balanced UT attack with 14 points, a game-high 11 boards and a contest-best four rejections. 

Sophomore Tanaya Beacham and classmate Tatyana Davis added nine points each off the bench, followed closely by senior Mikaela Boyd and sophomore Nakiah Black with seven and senior Sarah St-Fort and sophomore Mariah Copeland chipped in with six to help the Rockets run away from the NCAA Division II member Dragons. In total, 12 of the 14 Rockets found the scoring column in the exhibition match-up. 

Toledo shot 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from the field and finished with a commanding 52-26 edge in points in the paint, a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points and a whopping 39-13 edge in bench points.

The Midnight Blue & Gold also held a decisive 54-25 rebounding advantage, sparked by four players with at least seven.

Toledo continues to be fueled offensively by the trio of McIntyre, Santucci and Boyd, who are averaging 15.2, 10.6 and 9.9 ppg, respectively. Boyd needs only one point to become the 29th player in school history to surpass the 1,000-career point plateau.

UT will face a BSU team that is riding a season-high three-game winning streak, most recently securing a 99-62 home triumph against Urbana on Dec. 30. Jasmin Samz paced five Cardinals in double figures with 22 points and five assists vs. the Blue Knights.

BSU possesses an offense with two players scoring in double figures, led by Oshynn Brown's 12.9 ppg and 8.4 rpg. The Cardinals are 1-5 away from home this season.

UT and Ball State will meet for the first of two match-ups during the regular season and 80th time overall. The Rockets will play at BSU on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 4:30 p.m. in Worthen Arena.

Toledo leads the all-time series, 54-25, and has won two of the last three meetings against its division foe. 

A year ago, the Rockets and Cardinals split their two regular-season meetings with the home team emerging victorious both times. UT claimed a 72-66 victory in Savage Arena (Jan. 17), before suffering a 78-73 setback in Worthen Arena (Feb. 24). 

Following Saturday's MAC opener, the Rockets will travel to East Division foe Miami (9-2) on Wednesday, Jan. 9. The opening tip against the RedHawks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Millett Hall and will be shown on ESPN+. 

UT and MU will square off for the first of two contests this year and 65th time overall. The cross-division rivals will also compete  on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena. 

The Rockets lead the all-time series, 38-26, winning 11 of the last 12 match-ups since the 2008-09 campaign.

A season ago, UT dropped a 67-58 road decision against the RedHawks to lose for the first time in the series since March 14, 2008 in the MAC Tournament Semifinals.  

Miami holds a slim 17-14 edge in games played in Millett Hall, but the Midnight Blue & Gold has won five of the last six meetings away from home.