DETROIT, Mich. – Toledo women's basketball outscored Detroit Mercy 23-10 in the fourth quarter en route to claiming an 82-64 victory on Saturday in Calihan Hall. With the double-digit road win, the Rockets improve to 3-5 on the season.

Toledo held a five-point cushion, 59-54, after 30 minutes of competition before putting together a fantastic fourth period to pull away from the Horizon League member Titans (0-10).

The Midnight Blue & Gold opened the final stanza with a 9-0 burst and scored 13 of the first 15 points to give itself some much-needed breathing room. Five different Rockets registered points during this pivotal stretch, including a team-high four from junior Tanaya Beacham, to essentially put the non-league matchup out of reach.

Toledo connected on an eye-popping 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field in the fourth quarter, including 3-of-5 from three-point land, to turn a two-possession contest into an impressive 18-point road triumph.

For the game, Beacham paced the Rockets with a career-high 22 points, followed by senior Mariella Santucci and freshman Mali Morgan-Elliott with 13 and 12, respectively.

"Tanaya played an exceptional game today," said Head Coach Tricia Cullop. "She was extremely aggressive and did a great job finishing."

Santucci added a career-tying best 10 rebounds to post her fourth-career double-double. The 2019-20 team captain barely missed tallying just the second triple-double in program history, dishing with a season-high seven assists.  

"For your point guard to have a team-high 10 rebounds is pretty impressive," Cullop said. "Mariella did a really good job chasing down loose balls."

The Rockets also received eight points each from junior Nakiah Black and classmate Tatyana Davis, helping them claim their 12^th-consecutive victory against a Horizon League school.

As a team, Toledo shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the floor, including a season-high 41.7 percent (season-best 10-of-24) from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from the free throw line to surpass the 80-point plateau for the first time this year.

"We shot the ball a lot better today, especially in the first and fourth quarters," Cullop said. "We are going to have to continue to shoot the ball that way as we get closer to conference play. Overall, I thought we made some really good decisions offensively."

The Rockets also finished with a sizable 44-32 edge on the glass, including a season-tying best 17 offensive caroms, and had a season-high 21 helpers. 
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Sylare Starks led UDM with 17 points, all in the first half, while Bridgid Fox had 14. 

FIRST QUARTER
• The Rockets looked good early, receiving six points each from Beacham and Black to hold a 25-18 lead after 10 minutes.

• Two of the Rockets' three team captains combined to shot 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe in the period, helping them build an early three-possession lead.

SECOND QUARTER
• The Titans opened with a 13-4 run to assume a 31-29 lead at the 4:37 mark. Starks knocked down one of her three triples in the quarter to propel the home team to its first advantage in the contest.

• Toledo responded with back-to-back three-point field goals from Santucci and Davis to take a 43-41 lead into the intermission.

• The Rockets also benefited from six-consecutive points from freshman Quinesha Lockett in the waning moments of the half. The Omaha, Neb. native was credited with a trey from the wing and a traditional three-point play to give the Rockets a two-point cushion at the break. It proved to be an advantage Toledo would not give up.

• Black and Beacham paced Toledo with eight points each in the first half, while Starks led Detroit Mercy with a game-high 17.     

THIRD QUARTER
• The Rockets scored the first five points after halftime to stretch their lead to 48-41 at the 9:08 mark, forcing UDM to burn a timeout. Santucci accounted for the first points on a pair of free throws, while Morgan-Elliott accounted for the other three with her second triple to make it a seven-point difference.

• Toledo continued to build its lead, utilizing six-straight points from Beacham to make the score 54-46 with 4:24 left in the stanza. The Youngstown, Ohio native registered three-consecutive layups in a span of less than three minutes to put the margin at eight.

• Detroit Mercy eventually closed the gap to a single point, 54-53, but the Rockets fought right back and tallied five of the final six points to take a 59-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter. A two-year letterwinner, Beacham sparked the late rally with four points.   

FOURTH QUARTER
• Toledo kept its foot on the accelerator and registered the first nine points in the pivotal fourth quarter to create a double-digit lead, 67-54, with 7:32 left in regulation. Four different Rockets tallied points in the pivotal burst to give them a 13-point cushion.

• The Rockets continued to pour it on, receiving consecutive three-pointers by senior Sara Rokkanen and freshman Soleil Barnes to put the finishing touches on the road triumph.  

UP NEXT
• Toledo will venture to Las Vegas to participate in the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic on Thursday-Friday, Dec. 19-20. Toledo will battle 2019 Postseason WNIT participants Troy (6-2) on Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. (PST) and Pacific (6-2) on Dec. 20 at 5:00 p.m. (PST) at the South Point Hotel & Casino. The Rockets, who will compete against both the Trojans and Tigers for the first time in program history, will venture to "Sin City" for the first time since the 1995-96 season.