TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo will put its two-game home winning streak on the line when it entertains Mid-American Conference East Division leader Buffalo (10-2, 1-0 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 8 in Savage Arena. The opening tip against the Bulls is slated for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.

The Rockets will face a streaking UB squad that is riding a season-high seven-game winning streak, most recently securing an 86-72 road triumph against Miami on Saturday. Two-time MAC East Division Player of the Week Dyaisha Fair led four Bulls in double figures with a game-high 23 points and a contest-best 10 assists. Adebola Adeyeye added 16 points and a game-high 14 boards off the bench.

The Bulls, who are 5-2 away from home, utilize an offense with two players contributing at least 17 points led by Fair's 23.6 ppg. The first-year player currently ranks second in the MAC in scoring and thefts (2.9 spg).

Toledo and UB will meet for the first of two matchups during the regular season and 30th time overall. The Rockets will travel to Buffalo on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena. The Rockets have been picked to finish third in the MAC West Division, while the Bulls are tabbed to finish second in the East.

Toledo leads the all-time series, 22-7, but has lost the last three meetings against its cross-division foe. The Rockets also hold an 11-1 (.917) edge in games played in Savage Arena. A year ago, the Bulls claimed a 73-63 home victory against the Rockets (Feb. 6).

Toledo and Buffalo shared two common non-conference opponents in 2019-20: Canisius and Dayton. The Rockets claimed an 83-65 home triumph against the Golden Griffins on Dec. 29 and suffered a 60-42 home setback vs. the Flyers on Nov. 9, while the Bulls secured a 67-59 home win vs. UD on Dec. 17 and a 71-55 home victory vs. CC on Nov. 9.

Toledo (5-7, 0-1 MAC) features a balanced offense, led by the quartet of junior Nakiah Black, senior Mariella Santucci, junior Tanaya Beacham and junior Tatyana Davis, who are averaging 11.8, 9.9, 8.9 and 8.1 ppg, respectively. The Midnight Blue & Gold is coming off an 84-72 road setback at Western Michigan on Saturday in its conference opener. Toledo fell behind early against the Broncos and could not recover, ending an 11-game winning streak in the series. WMU's last victory against Toledo occurred on Feb. 23, 2014 when it escaped Savage Arena with a 60-59 road triumph. 

Santucci paced the Rockets with a season-high 20 points and a career-best 11 rebounds to post her fifth-collegiate double-double. The 2019-20 team captain also surpassed the 20-point plateau for the fourth time as a Rocket. Freshman Sophia Wiard added a season-best 12 points off the bench and Beacham had 10. As a team, Toledo shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from beyond the arc, and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the free throw line.

Following Wednesday's MAC cross-division matchup vs. Buffalo, Toledo will travel to MAC West Division rival Northern Illinois (4-8, 0-1 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 11. The MAC West Division showdown is slated for 1:00 p.m. (CT) in the Convocation Center and will be televised on ESPN3.