AMHERST, N.Y. – Toledo was outscored 47-27 in the second half en route to suffering a 73-63 setback against Buffalo on Wednesday in Alumni Arena. With the loss, the Rockets fall to 13-7 overall, 5-4 in the Mid-American Conference.

The reigning MAC East Division champion Bulls (15-5, 7-2 MAC) shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the field and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes to overcome a 36-26 halftime deficit.

MAC Player of the Year candidate Cierra Dillard and Summer Hemphill each registered 15 points after the intermission to spark the home team's second-half comeback.

One of the deciding factors in tonight's MAC cross-division match-up was turnovers. UT was guilty of 19 miscues, which UB translated into 22 points.

"The difference in the game were turnovers," Toledo Head  Coach Tricia Cullop said. "We turned the ball over almost 20 times, and Buffalo finished with a 22-11 advantage in points off our mistakes." 

Senior Kaayla McIntyre paced UT with a game-high 22 points and eight boards, marking the fifth time she has surpassed the 20-point plateau this year.

Senior Mikaela Boyd added nine points, a contest-best nine caroms and a team-high seven assists, while junior Sara Rokkanen knocked down a game-high three triples and finished with nine points.

As a team, the Rockets shot 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the field and 75.0 percent (18-of-24) from the charity stripe. UT was also limited to 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from three-point range, including 0-of-10 in the second half.  

"We had some open looks tonight from the outside, but the shots just didn't fall," Cullop said. "I thought we became a little frustrated there in the second half. We had the looks we wanted. Now, we just have to knock them down."

Hemphill led UB with 19 points, followed closely by Dillard and Brittany Morrison with 17 and 14, respectively.

FIRST QUARTER
• The Rockets shot a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line and scored eight points off 10 UB turnovers to hold a 17-8 lead after the opening period.

• UT was tough defensively, limiting UB to 30.0 percent (3-of-10) from the floor, including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.   

SECOND QUARTER
• Rokkanen nailed two of her game-high three triples in the second stanza to help Toledo extend its lead to 36-26 at the intermission. The Helsinki, Finland native was a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point land, signifying the seventh time she has made at least three treys in a game this year.

• The Rockets also benefited from seven points each from McIntyre and Boyd in the opening half to make it a 10-point difference. Boyd accounted for all seven in the second quarter, while McIntyre scored all but two of her points in the second 10 minutes.    

THIRD QUARTER
• Buffalo opened the period with a 20-6 run to take a 46-42 lead at the 4:38 mark. UB hit its first eight shots from the field, including five baskets from Hemphill to force Toledo to burn its first timeout.

• The Rockets settled down following the stoppage in play and received six-straight points from McIntyre to trim the deficit to 53-52 after 30 minutes of competition.

FOURTH QUARTER
• McIntyre remained dialed in offensively in the opening minutes of the final period, registering the first four points to give the lead back to Toledo, 56-53, with 8:03 left in regulation.

• The teams then traded field goals over the next two-plus minutes, until UB's Theresa Onwuka knocked down a pair of free throws to put the home team back in front, 60-58, at the 5:38 mark.

• Onwuka's charity tosses started a pivotal 9-3 run over the next three-plus minutes to put Buffalo ahead, 67-61, with only 1:49 showing on the clock.

• The Rockets momentarily pulled within four points, but Buffalo scored the game's last six points to make the final tally 73-63.

UP NEXT
• The Rockets will host MAC West Division rival Eastern Michigan (10-10, 3-6 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 9. The opening tip against the Eagles is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be shown on ESPN+.

• UT and EMU will meet for the first of two times this year and 83rd time overall. 

• Toledo leads the all-time series, 49-33, and has won three of the last four meetings against its division rival. UT also holds a 27-12 edge in games played in at home. 

• A season ago, the teams split their two meetings with the home team emerging victorious each time. The Rockets suffered a 70-57 road setback against the Eagles in the Convocation Center (Jan. 6), before securing an 80-69 home triumph in Savage Arena (Feb. 21).

• In conjunction with Saturday's contest, UT will host the fourth-annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

• National Girls and Women in Sports Day honors the accomplishments and hard work of female student-athletes in the classroom, in sports and in the community. The day will showcase UT's current female student-athletes, staff and coaches and thank them for all of their hard work.

• Along with National Girls & Women in Sports Day, UT and Rockets Sports Properties will hold an Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program funded by the Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County. UMADAOP's sponsorship is designed to help raise awareness about ways to prevent and help eliminate the opiate and heroin abuse epidemic that is occurring throughout Lucas County.