Toledo Battles Northern Illinois on Wednesday at Home

Wednesday, January 20

Toledo, Ohio

5:30 P.M.

University of Toledo

Northern Illinois

Senior Tatyana Davis and the Rockets will look to keep pace in the ultra-competitive MAC standings when they host NIU on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Photo by: Toledo Athletics

Toledo Battles Northern Illinois on Wednesday at Home

1/19/2021 12:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes vs. NIU (Game 12)

TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo (7-4, 3-4 MAC) will look to keep pace in the ultra-competitive Mid-American Conference when it hosts Northern Illinois (6-5, 4-2 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 20. The opening tip against the Huskies is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Savage Arena.

The Rockets sit ninth in the MAC standings, while NIU is fifth. There are currently seven teams within two games of one another.

Toledo was originally slated to play at MAC frontrunner Kent State (5-2, 4-0 MAC) on Wednesday, but that contest was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic quarantine protocols and will be rescheduled on a to-be-determined date.

Tomorrow's game will showcase Toledo's stingy defense vs. Northern Illinois' efficient offense. The Rockets are currently fourth in the MAC in scoring defense (67.73 ppg) and overall field-goal percentage defense (.400, 265-of-663), as well as ranking second in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.288, 66-of-229) and three-point field-goals allowed (6.0, 66). The Huskies sit third in the conference in scoring offense (77.36 ppg), second in overall field-goal percentage (.428, 289-of-676) and first in both three-point field-goal percentage (.391, 117-of-299) and three-point field-goals made (11.09, 122).

The Rockets will square off against the Huskies for the second time this year and 60th time overall. Sophomore Sophia Wiard poured in a school-record tying 42 points to help Toledo secure an 82-79 road victory at NIU in the Convocation Center on Dec. 10. Wiard was simply outstanding in the MAC opener for both teams, shooting 16-of-25 from the field, including a stellar 7-of-10 from three-point land, and a flawless 3-of-3 from the charity stripe to equal Kim Sekulski's record-setting effort vs. Bowling Green on Feb. 20, 1991. Wiard's seven three-point field goals also tied for fifth most in program history.

Sophomore Quinesha Lockett added 15 points and classmate Mali Morgan-Elliott totaled 11, all coming in the fourth period. As a team, Toledo shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69) from the field, including a stellar 40.0 percent (12-of-30) from three-point land, and a near perfect 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the charity stripe. The Rockets also finished with 19 assists, a season-low eight turnovers, and a season-best 13 thefts.

Chelby Koker paced Northern Illinois with 23 points, followed by A'Jah Davis and Paulina Castro with 11 each.

The Rockets lead the all-time series vs. NIU, 37-22, and have won six of the last nine overall. Toledo also holds a 21-6 edge against Northern Illinois in contests played in Savage Arena and has emerged victorious in 10 of the 12 meetings on its home court under Head Coach Tricia Cullop.

Toledo enter tomorrow's contest on the heels of a 69-57 home loss vs. arch-rival Bowling Green on Saturday, snapping its eight-game win streak in the series. The Falcons (9-3, 5-2 MAC) led wire-to-wire in the "Battle of I-75" to defeat Toledo for the first time since Feb. 2, 2014, a span of almost seven years or 2,540 days.

Lockett paced Toledo with 21 points against BGSU, senior Tatyana Davis had a season-high 11 points and a collegiate-best seven rebounds off the bench and Wiard finished with eight points, seven boards, a career-high eight assists and two steals.

The Rockets, which sport an impressive 6-2 home record, currently have four players averaging at least 7.5 points per game. Lockett leads the way at 19.1 ppg, followed closely by Wiard at 15.4 ppg. In the MAC rankings, Lockett sits second in overall field-goal percentage (.497, 76-of-153), while Wiard is pacing the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.22, 51-23).

Toledo will square off against a red-hot NIU team which is riding a season-high four-game winning streak, including an 87-79 road triumph vs. Miami on Saturday. Koker led the Huskies with a contest-best 29 points against the RedHawks (1-10, 0-7 MAC), followed by Mikayla Brandon and Erinn Hodges with 13 and 12, respectively.

NIU, which is 4-2 away from home, features an offense with five players contributing at least 7.5 points, led by Koker's 20.3 ppg, the fifth-highest mark in the league.

Following tomorrow's home matchup vs. Northern Illinois, Toledo will travel to Buffalo (8-3, 5-1 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 23. The showdown against the Bulls is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena. Toledo and Buffalo will meet for the first of two matchups during the regular season and 32nd time overall. The Rockets will host the Bulls on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be shown on ESPN+.