TOLEDO, Ohio - Big Ten member Northwestern utilized a 25-2 second-half run en route to claiming a 54-47 victory over Toledo on Sunday in the second round of the Postseason WNIT in Savage Arena. With the loss, the Rockets end their season with a 21-12 record.

The Wildcats (18-14) shot 40.0 percent (10-of-25) from the field and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the free throw line after the intermission to erase a nine-point halftime deficit, while UT went 14-plus minutes without a field goal. The Rockets made only six baskets in the second half and scored only 18 points after the break, compared to 10 field goals and 34 points for Northwestern.
 
Senior Kaayla McIntyre paced Toledo with 12 points, nine boards and three thefts, while classmate  Mikaela Boyd had 10 points. The Rockets also received seven points from sophomore Nakiah Black, six from junior Sara Rokkanen and a game-high seven assists by junior Mariella Santucci. 

As a team, UT shot 36.0 percent (18-of-50) from the floor, including 23.1 percent (4-of-17) from three-point range, and 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the charity stripe.

Lindsey Pulliam led Northwestern with a game-high 17 points, followed by Veronica Burton and Abbie Wolf with 13 and 11, respectively. Burton and Wolf spearheaded the visitors' second-half effort, tallying 10 and nine points after the intermission to help them advance to the "Sweet 16" in the 22nd-annual postseason tourney. 

With the completion of today's game, the collegiate careers of seniors Mikaela Boyd, Kaayla McIntyre, Sarah St-Fort and Mae Tshitenge came to an end. The Rockets' quartet were a part of 81 overall victories over the last four seasons, including 43 league wins. They also played a significant role in helping the Midnight Blue & Gold secure three post-season berths during this time, including a 2017 Mid-American Conference Championship.

FIRST QUARTER
• UT received a game-high seven points from Black in the opening 10 minutes and held an early 11-4 lead. The first-year Rocket knocked down three field goals in the period, including a deep triple, to give the home team a seven-point cushion.

• Toledo was also stout defensively at the outset, holding NU to a frigid 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from the field. The Rockets forced seven turnovers and scored four points off those miscues to help them build a three-possession cushion.  

SECOND QUARTER
• Northwestern closed the gap to a single point on three occasions in the second quarter, but Toledo ended the half on a 12-4 run to take a 29-20 lead into the intermission. Five different Rockets tallied points in the burst to put them in front by nine points at the break. 

• McIntyre and Black paced UT with eight & seven points in the first 20 minutes, respectively, while Pulliam led NU with six.  

THIRD QUARTER
• Toledo did not skip a beat offensively to commence the third stanza, highlighted by back-to-back layups from Boyd and McIntyre to extend its advantage to a game-high 16 points, 38-22, at the 5:49 mark. 

• Unfortunately for the Rockets, Northwestern ended the quarter on a 13-0 run to make the score 38-35 heading into the final 10 minutes. Burton and Wolf sparked the late rally with four points each to trim the margin to only three points. 

FOURTH QUARTER
• NU continued its run to start the final period, scoring the first five points to assume its first lead of the contest, 40-38, at the 8:23 mark. 

• UT's McIntyre momentarily stopped Northwestern's momentum with a pair of charity tosses, but the Wildcats responded by tallying the next seven points to complete the pivotal 25-2 run and make the score 47-40 with 4:19 left in regulation. 

• NU eventually extended its lead to double figures, 52-42, before the Rockets reeled off five-straight points to set the difference at 52-47 at the 1:09 mark. Boyd converted a 15-foot jumper and Rokkanen followed with a triple to shrink the deficit to two possessions.

• The Rockets then received back-to-back defensive stops on Northwestern's next two possessions and had opportunities to cut further into the deficit, but they missed their final two shots from the field to end any hope of a comeback.  



Women's basketball highlights vs Northwestern. 

Head Coach, Tricia Cullop post-game. 

Senior, Mikaela Boyd Post-game.