DeKALB, Ill. – Mikayla Voigt's traditional three-point play with 5.8 seconds remaining in regulation lifted Northern Illinois to a 54-52 victory over Toledo on Saturday in the Convocation Center. With the tough loss, UT falls to 15-8 overall, 7-5 in the Mid-American Conference.

The Rockets had two opportunities to force overtime or win the MAC West Division showdown in regulation, but they were unable to get a shot off.

"I thought late in the game we showed great energy, but we need to do that for 40 minutes," said Toledo Head Coach Tricia Cullop. "We have to have better effort throughout the course of the game if we want to be successful."

Senior Kaayla McIntyre paced Toledo with a game-high 20 points and a contest-best 15 boards to post her third-straight double-double and seventh on the year. McIntyre shot an efficient 9-of-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe to surpass the 20-point barrier for a squad-best sixth time this year.

Sophomore Nakiah Black added 12 points on a contest-high four three-point field goals to score in double figures for the 11^th time over the last 14 games since being inserted into the starting lineup.

Senior Sarah St-Fort chipped in eight points, while junior Mariella Santucci had six points and a game-high eight assists.

As a team, the Rockets shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the field, including 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from three-point range, and 60.0 percent (3-of-5) from the charity stripe.

Toledo also finished with a sizable 44-34 edge on the boards, marking the eighth time it has posted a double-digit rebounding advantage this year.

Ally May led the Huskies with 12 points, followed closely by Riley Blackwell and Voigt with nine and eight, respectively.

FIRST QUARTER
• NIU scored nine of the final 12 points to hold a 15-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes. Myia Starks and Blackwell triggered the Huskies' late burst with four points each to give them a two-possession advantage.

• The Rockets struggled from the floor in the first stanza, shooting only 25.0 percent (4-of-16). They were also hurt by six turnovers, which Northern Illinois translated into seven points.

SECOND QUARTER
• Toledo pounded the ball inside in the second period, benefiting from back-to-back layups by St-Fort and one from McIntyre to pull within two points, 21-19, at the 4:58 mark.

• Unfortunately for the Rockets, they were outscored 9-2 for the remainder of the half to find themselves down 30-21 at the intermission. Once again it was Blackwell who sparked the late run with five points to put the home team in front by nine at the break.

• McIntyre paced UT with seven points in the opening 20 minutes, while Blackwell led NIU with a game-high nine.    

THIRD QUARTER
• McIntyre was a one-player wrecking crew in the quarter, scoring seven of the team's first nine points to once again trim UT's deficit to two points, 32-30, with 5:41 showing on the clock. The Toledo native converted three baskets from close range, including a traditional three-point play, to make it a one-possession contest.

• Just like the second stanza, though, NIU responded with a 7-0 rally to push its lead to 39-30, prompting Toledo to burn its second timeout at the 3:35 mark. Three different Huskies tallied points in the run.

• McIntyre ended up registering nine of Toledo's 14 points in the quarter, as its deficit was eight, 43-35, heading into the final 10 minutes.

FOURTH QUARTER
• UT did not score until Black knocked down her third three-point field goal with 5:39 left in regulation.

• Black's shot ignited a pivotal 17-4 run to give Toledo its first lead since the opening minutes, 52-51, with only 24.6 seconds left. The Concord, N.C. native buried another triple during this burst, while UT also received four points from McIntyre, a three-point play by Santucci and a layup from St-Fort to complete the comeback.

• NIU immediately called a timeout to advance the ball to mid court, before Voigt drove baseline and got her close range shot to fall and she was fouled on the play. The MAC's second-leading scorer successfully completed the three-point play with a free throw to make it a two-point game.

• The Rockets then signaled for a timeout to move the ball, but strong pressure defense from NIU did not allow them to get a shot off before the final horn sounded.

UP NEXT
• The Rockets will host MAC East Division leader Miami (19-4, 10-2 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The opening tip against the RedHawks is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be shown on ESPN+.

• UT and Miami will meet for the second time this year and 66th time overall. The Rockets suffered a 65-64 road setback against the RedHawks on Jan. 9 in Millett Hall. 

• Toledo leads the all-time series vs. Miami, 38-27, but has lost the last two match-ups against its cross-division foe. UT has won the last six meetings between the intrastate rivals at home and holds a 22-8 advantage in games played in the friendly confines of Savage Arena.   

• Two years ago, UT claimed a 64-50 home victory (Jan. 7).