MUNCIE, Ind. – Red-hot Toledo (6-1, 2-1 MAC) will look to extend its win streak to a season-high four-straight games when it travels to Ball State (3-4, 1-2 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The opening tip against the Cardinals is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Worthen Arena and will be streamed on ESPN3.

The Rockets have begun the season winning six of their first seven contests for the fourth time under 13th-year head coach Tricia Cullop. Toledo has now started a season with at least a 6-1 ledger on 11 occasions in school history. 

Toledo and Ball State will meet for the first of two matchups during the regular season and 85th time overall. The Rockets will host the Cardinals on Saturday, Feb. 27 at time TBA and will be streamed on ESPN3. 

Toledo leads the all-time series against Ball State, 57-27, and has won five of the last eight meetings. The Rockets also hold a 24-16 edge in games played in Muncie. A year ago, BSU swept the regular-season series against Toledo, claiming a 60-58 road triumph (Feb. 12) and a 66-60 home win (Feb. 26). 

Toledo, which will play only its second road game this season against BSU, is coming off a 65-57 home triumph vs. Akron on Saturday. Sophomore Sophia Wiard poured in 12 of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Rockets past the Zips. A 2020-21 team captain, Wiard was credited with two triples, two field goals and two free throws over the course of the final 10 minutes to help the Midnight Blue & Gold secure an eight-point home win. 

Sophomore Mali Morgan-Elliott also contributed a career-high 14 points, freshman Khera Goss had 12 points and fellow newcomer Sammi Mikonowicz chipped in eight points, a team-best eight boards and a game-high six helpers.  

Besides Wiard's fourth-quarter heroics, the story of Saturday's matchup was the play of the Rockets' perimeter defense. They limited UA to a 27.3 percent (3-of-11) clip from beyond the arc. Akron came into the contest averaging 9.2 treys and shooting 37.4 percent from three-point land.

Through the first seven contests, Toledo continues to be paced offensively by the quintet of Wiard, sophomore Quinesha Lockett, Mikonowicz, Morgan-Elliott and Goss, who are averaging 17.6, 16.7, 9.9, 8.0 and 7.1 ppg, respectively. This group accounts for a whopping 84.5 percent (415 of 491 points) of the Rockets' scoring.

Toledo will battle a Ball State team which is coming off an 89-55 home loss vs. Bowling Green (7-1, 3-0 MAC) on Saturday. The Falcons broke open a close game by outscoring the Cardinals 53-35 in the second half. 2019-20 first-team All-MAC selection Oshlynn Brown paced BSU with 14 points and a game-high 12 boards, followed by the duo of Essence Booker and Sydney Freeman with nine points each.

BSU, which is 0-3 at home in 2020-21, utilizes a balanced offense with four players contributing at least 9.5 ppg led by Booker and Brown at 12.7 and 11.7 ppg, respectively.

Following tomorrow's contest, Toledo will travel to Ohio (3-3, 1-2 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 9. The opening tip vs. the Bobcats is slated for 1:00 p.m. in the Convocation Center. The Rockets and Bobcats will meet only once this year and 73rd time overall. Ohio is one of only two MAC teams Toledo will play one time during the regular season, with Miami being the other.