LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Toledo (3-5) will conclude its longest road stretch of the season on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 19-20, when it participates in the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic. The Rockets will square off against Sun Belt Conference member Troy (7-2) on Thursday in the first round of the neutral-court event at 2:30 p.m. (PST) in the South Point Arena. The Midnight Blue & Gold will then battle West Coast Conference member Pacific (6-3) in the second round on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (PST).

The Rockets, who will compete against both the Trojans and Tigers for the first time in program history, will venture to "Entertainment Capital of the World" for the first time since the 1995-96 season.

Toledo has accumulated a 60-51 (.541) all-time ledger in tournament action, including an impressive 26-9 (.743) mark under head coach Tricia Cullop.

The Rockets are coming off an impressive 82-64 victory at Detroit Mercy this past Saturday.

Toledo outscored UDM 23-10 in the fourth period to pull away from the winless Titans (0-10).

The Rockets held a five-point cushion, 59-54, after 30 minutes of competition before putting together a fantastic fourth stanza. They connected on an eye-popping 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field in the final 10 minutes, including 3-of-5 from three-point land, to turn a two-possession contest into a well-earned double-digit win.

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

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

The Rockets also received eight points each from junior Nakiah Black and classmate Tatyana Davis, helping them claim their 12th-consecutive victory against a Horizon League school.
    
Through the first eight games this year, Toledo continues to be fueled offensively by the quartet of Black, Santucci, Beacham and Davis, who are averaging 10.1, 9.4, 9.3 and 8.5 ppg, respectively.

Toledo, which is 2-2 away from home, will face a red-hot Troy team that has won its last four games, most recently securing a 90-51 win at Chattanooga on Sunday, Dec. 15. Kayla Robinson led four Trojans in double figures with a game-high 15 points off the bench, followed closely by Amber Rivers with 14.

TU features a high-powered attack with three players averaging at least 11.0 points per game led by Jasmine Robinson's 13.0 ppg and 2.8 apg.

The Rockets are 5-2 (.714) all-time against teams from the SBC (1-2 vs. Arkansas St., 3-0 vs. Georgia St., 1-0 vs. Louisiana), including 4-2 (.667) under Coach Cullop. Earlier this year, Toledo registered a 74-48 road triumph against Georgia State in its season opener on Nov. 5.

Pacific, which plays St. Francis College on Thursday, is coming off a 68-57 road loss vs. No. 10 UCLA on Sunday. Valerie Higgins and Sofie Tryggedsson led the Tigers with 15 points each against the nationally ranked Bruins.

UP possesses an offense with three players contributing at least 10.0 points per contest paced by Brooklyn McDavid's 18.2 ppg.

Toledo is 5-7 (.417) all-time against teams from the WCC (2-0 vs. BYU; 0-2 vs. Loyola Marymount; 1-1 vs. Pepperdine; 0-2 vs. Saint Mary's; 1-1 vs. San Diego; 1-1 vs. Santa Clara), including 1-2 (.333) under Coach Cullop. The last WCC team the Rockets faced was Saint Mary's (Calif.) in the championship game of the 2013 SMC Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic, whom they lost to 81-57 (Nov. 30, 2013).

Following this week's two matchups at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic, Toledo will close out non-conference play against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member Canisius (1-5) on Sunday, Dec. 29. The contest against the Golden Griffins is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be shown on ESPN+.