BUFFALO, N.Y. – Toledo secured an impressive 78-62 victory at Buffalo on Saturday in Mid-American Conference play in Alumni Arena. With the double-digit win, the Rockets improve to 11-10 overall, 6-4 in the league.

"Any road win in this conference is difficult to get, especially here against Buffalo," said Toledo Head Coach Tricia Cullop. "I'm just so proud of my team's mental focus and toughness today."

The Midnight Blue & Gold shot a conference-season best 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the field, including a sizzling 50.0 percent (MAC-high 10-of-20) from three-point range, and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the charity stripe to sweep the regular-season series against the 2019 MAC Champion Bulls (13-8, 4-6 MAC). Earlier this year, the Rockets claimed a 71-59 home victory vs. UB on Jan 8. 

"I loved the way we shared the ball," said Cullop, whose team finished with a MAC-tying season-best 20 assists. "We were patient offensively, searched for the best shot, and our players were ready to shoot when they caught the ball."

Junior Nakiah Black led the victorious Rockets with a game-high 21 points, including 10 straight in the fourth quarter to close out the impressive road triumph. The two-time team captain did a majority of her damage from beyond the arc, draining a contest-best four three-point field goals to surpass the 20-point barrier for the sixth time as a Rocket.

Senior Mariella Santucci added 13 points and a season-best nine helpers to just miss posting a sixth-collegiate double-double. With today's effort, Santucci moved into fifth place in school history with 555 career assists.

The Rockets also received eight points from senior transfer Arianne Whitaker and freshman Sophia Wiard, seven by freshman Mali Morgan-Elliott and six from junior Tanaya Beacham and newcomer Soleil Barnes to successfully bounce back from Wednesday's loss at Miami.

The Rockets finished with a 39-31 edge on the glass against one of the league's top rebounding teams and had five players with at least four caroms, highlighted by a season-tying best seven from Wiard. The Bulls came into today's cross-division matchup averaging 43.3 rebounds per contest.

"Buffalo is extremely athletic and tough to box out," Cullop said. "Any time you outrebound them, that's impressive."

Dyaisha Fair paced UB with 20 points, while Hanna Hall and Adebola Adeyeye had 11 and 10, respectively.

As a team, the Bulls (13-8, 4-6 MAC) were limited to 35.3 percent (24-of-68) from the floor, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from three-point land.

FIRST QUARTER
• Toledo came out with its guns blazing, hitting six of its first eight shots to hold an early 13-10 lead. Four different Rockets tallied points at the outset, including a team-high four each by freshman Quinesha Lockett and Whitaker, to force UB to burn a timeout at the 4:30 mark.

• The Rockets remained dialed in offensively for the remainder of the period, shooting 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from the field. Toledo's red-hot shooting gave the visitors an 18-16 advantage after the opening 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER
• Toledo continued to play with a chip on its shoulder, ending the half on a 9-3 run to take a 35-27 lead into the intermission. The Rockets' late rally was aided by Wiard's half-court heave to beat the buzzer and give them a three-possession advantage.

• Santucci paced Toledo with a game-high 10 points in the opening half, while Fair and Hall led Buffalo with six each.

• The Rockets converted on a sizzling 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from the floor in the half, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.  

THIRD QUARTER
• Toledo kept its foot on the accelerator in the third stanza, ending the period on a 19-6 burst to create a 63-45 lead.

• The Rockets received a pair of three-point field goals by Barnes, as well as a traditional three-point play by junior Tatyana Davis over the final four-plus minutes to stretch the lead to 18 points.

FOURTH QUARTER
• UB scored the first five points in the final period to force the Rockets to call a timeout with 7:26 left in regulation.

• Toledo needed an answer to stop Buffalo's momentum, and Wiard delivered in a big way. The first-year Rocket sank three free throws after being fouled on a three-point shot as the shot clock was about to expire.

• Black then took the game over and scored 10-straight points, including back-to-back triples, to put the final dagger into Buffalo.

• The Rockets did not allow UB to get any closer than 16 points the rest of the way to sweep the regular-season series against Buffalo.

UP NEXT
• Toledo will host MAC West Division rival Ball State (15-7, 7-3 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The MAC West Division showdown is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be televised on ESPN+.