KENT, Ohio – Toledo (11-11, 6-5 MAC) hits the road for its second Mid-American Conference matchup vs. Kent State in the last two weeks on Saturday, Feb. 15, when it travels to Kent. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center and will be streamed on ESPN3.

Back on Feb. 1, the Rockets secured a 69-60 home triumph against the Golden Flashes before 4,115 fans in Savage Arena to snap a three-game losing skid against their cross-division rival.

Toledo outscored KSU 41-29 in the second half en route to securing the nine-point triumph. The Rockets posted a decisive 22-11 scoring advantage in the third period and a 19-18 edge in the fourth.

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 points after intermission. 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.

The Rockets won the game at the free throw line, making a season-high 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) shots, while the Golden Flashes converted 6-of-7 (85.7 percent). Individually, Black was a perfect 10-of-10 at the stripe, while Santucci shot 6-of-7.

Nila Blackford paced Kent State with 14 points and a squad-best nine boards, followed closely by Katie Shumate and Megan Carter with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Rockets lead the all-time series vs. KSU, 43-32, but the Golden Flashes hold a 16-13 edge in games played in the M.A.C. Center. In its most recent visit to Kent, Toledo sustained a 70-60 road setback on Jan. 21, 2017.

Toledo enter tomorrow's contest on the heels of a tough 60-58 home loss vs. Ball State on Wednesday.

In a tightly-contested matchup between MAC West Division rivals that featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes, Toledo had a couple opportunities in the waning seconds of regulation to force overtime, but shots from junior Tatyana Davis and classmate Tanaya Beacham were off the mark. The defeat snapped Toledo's three-game winning streak against BSU. 

Santucci paced the Rockets with a game-high 16 points and in the process became the 30th player in school history to score 1,000-career points. Santucci knocked down a pair of throws at the 3:44 mark in the fourth quarter to join the Rockets' exclusive club. 

Davis added 12 points off the bench and Black had 10. 

The Rockets, which sport a 5-6 road record, currently have three players averaging at least 10.0 points in MAC play. Black leads the way at 13.6 ppg, followed closely by Santucci and freshman Quinesha Lockett at 12.7 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.

Toledo will square off against a Kent State team which has won two of its last three games since playing the Rockets on Feb. 1, including a 60-55 road triumph vs. Akron on Wednesday. Asiah Dingle led the Golden Flashes with 15 points off the bench against the Zips, followed by Katie Shumate and Blackford with 12 and 10, respectively. 

KSU, which is 6-3 at home, features a balanced attack with five players contributing at least 10.5 points, led by Blackford's 13.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg. 

Following tomorrow's road matchup at Kent State, Toledo will travel to MAC East Division leader Ohio (15-7, 8-3 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The cross-division showdown is slated for 7:00 p.m. in the Convo and will be televised on ESPN+.