BUFFALO, N.Y. – Despite career highs from sophomore Soleil Barnes and junior Lexi Lance, Toledo dropped a 74-65 decision at Buffalo on Saturday in Alumni Arena. With the loss, the Rockets fall to 8-5 overall, 4-5 in the Mid-American Conference.

Barnes poured in 19 points thanks to five three-point field goals in her season debut, while Lance contributed 13 points. A native of Southfield, Mich., Barnes had missed the last 19 games while recovering from a PCL injury, dating back to last season.

"I was really proud of Soleil's and Lexi's efforts today," Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. "Both players answered the call when their respective numbers were called. They both stepped up in a huge way and gave us an opportunity to get a road victory."

The Rockets also received 10 points and a season-tying best 13 rebounds from freshman Sammi Mikonowicz, 10 points from sophomore Quinesha Lockett, as well as nine points and a game-high seven assists by sophomore Sophia Wiard.

"I also thought Sammi played well today," Cullop said. "Buffalo has quite a bit of size on its frontline, and she was solid against them."

As a team, the Rockets shot 29.2 percent (19-of-65) from the field, including 28.1 percent (9-of-32) from three-point land, and 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the charity stripe.

"We've got to shoot the ball better, and we've got to rebound better," said Cullop, whose team was outrebounded, 46-39. "Our fight was always there. We fought tooth-and-nail, despite falling behind early. We fought hard to make it a game, but we have to make shots if we want to win close contests."   

Dyashia Fair paced Buffalo (9-4, 6-2 MAC) with a game-high 25 points and a contest-best nine helpers. The Bulls also benefited from 14 points by Jessika Schiffer and 12 by Jazmine Young to stop a two-game losing skid against the Rockets.

FIRST QUARTER
• The Bulls received points from five different players in the opening 10 minutes, including a game-high five by Fair to build an early 18-7 lead.

• Toledo was limited to a season-low seven points in the first period, but two came from Barnes, who saw her first game action since Feb. 19, 2020.

SECOND QUARTER
• UB eventually pushed its advantage to double digits, 24-13, following a jumper by Schiffer at the 7:01 mark.

• After a Toledo timeout, the Midnight Blue & Gold went on an 11-0 burst to knot the score at 24-24 with 3:06 remaining in the half. Wiard sparked the rally with four points, while Barnes delivered one of her game-high five triples to draw the teams even.

• Unfortunately for the Rockets, they would not score for the remainder of the half. Buffalo tallied the final five points to take a 29-24 lead into intermission.

• Lockett paced Toledo with eight points in the opening 20 minutes, followed closely by Barnes with seven, while Fair led the home team with seven.

THIRD QUARTER
• Buffalo extended its lead to nine points, 38-29, early in the third stanza on the strength of a pair of layups by Elea Gaba at the 7:08 mark.

• Toledo eventually closed the margin to five following two Barnes' treys, only to have UB respond with three-consecutive triples to give the home team its biggest lead, 51-36. Schiffer drained two of the three-point field goals during this stretch, while Fair converted the other in a span of less than two minutes.

• With time and score becoming an issue, the Rockets needed to fight back to stay within striking distance and Lance delivered two field goals, including a traditional three-point play, to set the score at 55-44 after 30 minutes of competition.  

FOURTH QUARTER
• Lance continued to provide a spark in the fourth quarter, ripping off eight points to pull the Rockets to within 59-56 with 4:16 left in regulation.

• Looking like Toledo had a chance to steal a road victory in the waning moments, UB's Fair played spoiler and delivered pivotal back-to-back baskets to put the game out of reach, 63-56, with a little under three minutes left.

• The closest the Rockets would get was four points on two occasions for the remainder of the game. The Bulls put the finishing touches on the home triumph by making seven free throws in the waning moments.

UP NEXT
• The Rockets will host four-time reigning MAC regular-season champion Central Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The opening tip vs. the Chippewas is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be shown on ESPN+. The Rockets and CMU will square off for the first of two meetings during the regular season and 87th time overall.