TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo outscored Kent State 41-29 in the second half en route to securing a 69-60 victory on Saturday before 4,115 fans in Savage Arena. With the home win, the Rockets improve to 10-9 overall, 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference.

Toledo posted a decisive 22-11 scoring advantage in the third period and a 19-18 edge in the fourth to successfully bounce back from back-to-back losses against Central Michigan and most recently Eastern Michigan.

Junior Nakiah Black tallied 14 of her squad-best 22 points in the final 20 minutes to pace the Midnight Blue & Gold, while senior Mariella Santucci registered 11 of her 20 after intermission to help the home team snap a three-game losing skid vs. KSU (11-8, 4-4 MAC).

Senior transfer Arianne Whitaker added 10 points and a season-high 12 caroms to register her first double-double this year and sixth as a collegiate.
 
A glaring difference in today's MAC cross-division matchup came at the free throw line. The Rockets made a season-high 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) shots at the stripe, while the Golden Flashes converted 6-of-7 (85.7 percent). Individually, Black was a perfect 10-of-10 at the line, while Santucci shot 6-of-7.

As a team, Toledo connected on 42.2 percent (19-of-45) from the field, including a respectable 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from three-point range. The Rockets also controlled the glass, 42-24, and had four players with at least five boards, highlighted by a contest-best 12 by Whitaker, to help them improve to 4-0 vs. MAC East Division foes this year.

Nila Blackford led KSU with 14 points and a squad-best nine boards, followed closely by Katie Shumate and Megan Carter with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
FIRST QUARTER
• KSU utilized a late 8-2 run to claim a 17-12 lead with 58 seconds left in the opening period. Carter fueled the burst with back-to-back field goals.

• The Rockets quickly responded though, tallying the final five points, including a triple from Black just before the horn sounded to knot the score at 17-17.  

SECOND QUARTER
• With the Rockets holding a 21-19 lead, the Golden Flashes reeled off nine-straight points to help them take a 31-28 advantage at intermission. Lindsey Thall sparked KSU's rally with a three-point play and a layup to make it a three-point difference at the break.

• Toledo's deficit looked like it was going to be five points at halftime, but Santucci's coast-to-coast layup to beat the buzzer made the score 31-28.

• Santucci led the Rockets with nine points at the break, followed closely by Black with eight, while Blackford paced KSU with eight.

THIRD QUARTER
• In a game that featured 14 lead changes, Toledo reclaimed the advantage for good, 37-36, on Black's third of a game-high four triples early in the quarter.

• The Rockets then extended their lead to 50-42 on the strength of eight points by Whitaker in the stanza. The first-year Rocket converted a pair of layups and made four charity tosses to help Toledo outscore KSU 22-11 in the period.

• The Rockets also benefited from another buzzer beater, this time from Black from three-point land, giving them an eight-point cushion heading into the final 10 minutes.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Toledo grew its lead to as many as 14 points on two occasions in the fourth period before settling for an impressive nine-point home triumph.

• The Rockets did a majority of their scoring at the charity stripe in the final quarter, making 11-of-14 at the line to finish off the Golden Flashes.    

UP NEXT
• Toledo will travel to MAC East Division foe Miami (9-11, 2-6 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The MAC cross-division showdown is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Millett Hall and will be streamed on ESPN3.


Highlights from Toledo's win over Kent State.


Head Coach Tricia Cullop post-game.


Graduate Student Arianne Whitaker post-game.


Junior Nakiah Black post-game.