Toledo Ventures to MAC East Division Foe Miami

Wednesday, February 5

Oxford, Ohio

7:00 P.M.

University of Toledo

Miami

Freshman Quinesha Lockett and the Rockets are riding a four-game winning streak against MAC East Division opponents.

Photo by: Toledo Athletics

2/4/2020 8:58:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Miami WBB Game Notes (PDF)

OXFORD, Ohio - Toledo will continue its three-game stretch against Mid-American Conference East Division opponents on Wednesday, Feb. 5 when it travels to Miami (10-11, 3-6 MAC). Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Millett Hall and the cross-division matchup will be streamed on ESPN3.

The Rockets are a perfect 4-0 vs. MAC East Division foes so far this year and 65-31 (.677) over the last 11-plus seasons under Head Coach Tricia Cullop.

Toledo and Miami will meet only once during the regular season and for the 68th time overall.

A year ago, the RedHawks swept the regular-season series against the Rockets, claiming a 65-64 home victory (Jan. 9) and a 65-56 road triumph (Feb. 20). The cross-division foes then squared off for a third time in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals, with Toledo dropping a 72-54 neutral-court decision in Cleveland.

Toledo leads the all-time series against Miami, 38-29, but has lost the last four meetings after securing 11-straight wins from 2009-17.

The RedHawks hold an 18-14 edge in games played in Oxford. Toledo's last win in Millett Hall came on Jan. 13, 2016 when it escaped Oxford with a 55-50 road triumph.

The Midnight Blue & Gold is coming off a 69-60 home victory Kent State on Saturday before 4,115 fans in Savage Arena. Toledo posted a decisive 22-11 scoring advantage in the third period and a 19-18 edge in the fourth to successfully recover 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 Toledo, while senior Mariella Santucci registered 11 of her 20 after intermission to help the Rockets 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 Saturday's 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.

Toledo will take on a Miami squad which is coming off back-to-back victories, most recently securing a 70-67 home triumph vs. Western Michigan (11-9, 4-5 MAC) on Monday.

MAC Player of the Year candidate Lauren Dickerson led the RedHawks with 21 points and a game-high seven dimes, while Savannah Kluesner had 17 points and a squad-best 11 caroms.

Miami, which is 5-2 at home, features three players averaging at least 12.0 points per game fueled by Dickerson and Kluesner's 16.5 and 14.0 ppg, respectively.

Toledo, which sports a 4-5 road record, continues to be sparked offensively by the quintet of Black, Santucci, junior Tanaya Beacham, freshman Quinesha Lockett and junior Tatyana Davis, who are averaging 12.6, 9.4, 9.1, 8.9 and 7.4 ppg, respectively. This group accounts for 69.7 percent (882-of-1,266) of the Rockets' points through the first 19 games.

Following tomorrow's road matchup, Toledo will travel to Buffalo (13-7, 4-5 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 8. The MAC cross-division showdown is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena and will be streamed on ESPN3.