MUNCIE, Ind. – Toledo put forth a spirited effort against Ball State on Wednesday in Worthen Arena but came up a little short, dropping a 66-60 decision. With the loss, the Rockets fall to 11-15 overall, 6-9 in the Mid-American Conference.

Toledo pulled to within four points numerous times in the fourth quarter but could never get over the hump and catch its MAC West Division rival Cardinals.

Junior Tanaya Beacham paced the Midnight Blue & Gold with 20 points, scoring in double figures for a season-high fourth-straight game. Beacham shot 9-of-15 from the field and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe to reach the 20-point mark for the second time in the last three games.

Freshman Quinesha Lockett added 15 points and senior Mariella Santucci nearly posted the second triple-double in program history, finishing with six points, a career-tying best 11 rebounds and a game-high eight assists.

Senior Sara Rokkanen also contributed eight points off the bench and junior Nakiah Black had seven.

As a team, the Rockets connected on 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the floor, including 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from three-point range, and 70.0 percent (7-of-10) from the charity stripe.

Oshylnn Brown led BSU (19-8, 11-4 MAC) with a game-high 22 points and a contest-best 13 boards to register her 13th double-double this year.

FIRST QUARTER
• The Rockets trailed BSU, 21-19, after the opening 10 minutes thanks to a Thelma Dis Agustsdottir layup to just beat the horn.

• Toledo trailed by as many as five points in the quarter, but a team-high three field goals from Beacham kept the visitors within one possession.

SECOND QUARTER
• The Cardinals outscored the Rockets 15-6 in the second period to assume a 36-25 advantage at intermission.

• BSU rattled off 11 of the first 13 points to open up a 32-21 lead at the 3:20 mark. Four different Cardinals registered points in the opening six-plus minutes to make it a double-digit difference.

• Toledo needed somehow to step up offensively to break BSU's momentum, and Lockett delivered with back-to-back layups to set the margin at 11 points at the break.

• Beacham paced the Rockets with eight points in the first half, while Brown led the home team with a game-high 14.

THIRD QUARTER
• Toledo showed some flare to start the second half, ripping off 10 of the first 12 points to close the margin to 38-35 at the 6:05 mark. Lockett triggered the burst with a pair of field goals, including a traditional three-point play, to bring the Rockets' bench to their feet.

• Unfortunately for the Rockets, they were not able to sustain that momentum as the Cardinals countered with a 10-1 run to help them establish a 50-41 lead after 30 minutes of action. Anna Clephane hit a triple from the wing and Sydney Freeman tallied a three-point play during this stretch to make it a nine-point game heading into the final quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Toledo started the final period the same way as it did the third, scoring eight of the first 12 points to trim the margin to 53-49 with 7:32 left in regulation. Beacham accounted for five of the eight points to pull the visitors with four.

• The Rockets closed the gap to four points on five other occasions in the quarter, but each time Ball State had an answer. On three occasions, the Cardinals scored points on their ensuing possession to hold off Toledo from getting any closer.  

UP NEXT
• The Rockets will travel to MAC West Division rival Eastern Michigan (13-13, 8-7 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 29. Saturday's matchup is slated for 2:30 p.m. in the Convocation Center and will be streamed on ESPN3. 

• Toledo and EMU will meet for the second time this year and 86th overall. The Rockets suffered a 77-62 home setback against the Eagles on Jan. 29 to snap a three-game winning streak in the series.

• Toledo leads the all-time series, 51-34, and has won five of the last seven meetings. The Rockets also hold a 23-16 edge in games played in Ypsilanti.

• A year ago, Toledo claimed a 70-67 double-overtime road victory against EMU in the Convocation Center (March 6).