MUNCIE, Ind. – Sophomore Quinesha Lockett poured in a career-high 34 points, but it was not enough as Toledo suffered a 93-78 loss at Ball State on Wednesday in Worthen Arena. The setback snaps the Rockets' three-game win streak and drops them to 6-2 overall, 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

Lockett was superb in a season-high 38 minutes of action, shooting 13-of-23 from the floor, including a collegiate-best 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line to surpass her previous-best effort of 24 points vs. Duquesne on Dec. 18. The 2020-21 team captain, who also had five rebounds, a collegiate-best six helpers and a contest-high four thefts, has now scored at least 20 points in three of the last four games and fifth time overall as a Rocket.

"Quinesha was unbelievable tonight," Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. "She shot the ball so well. Quinesha did everything she could to help us win, but unfortunately it wasn't enough."

Toledo also received a tremendous effort from sophomore Sophia Wiard, who registered 23 points in a career-high 39 minutes. The 2020-21 team captain also added seven rebounds and a team-high six assists.

"Sophia played extremely well," Cullop said. "She also gave us everything she had while playing all but 30 seconds."

Lockett and Wiard were the only Rockets to score in double figures, as their next-high scorer was freshman Khera Goss with nine points.

As a team, the Midnight Blue & Gold shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field, including 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from three-point range, and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the charity stripe.

2019-20 first-team All-MAC selection Oshlynn Brown paced five Cardinals (4-4, 2-2 MAC) in double digits with 24 points and a game-high 13 boards. Sydney Freeman contributed 18 points, followed closely by the trio of Thelma Dis Agustsdottir, Anna Clephane and Essence Booker with 15, 14 and 13 points, respectively. BSU did a bulk of its damage close to the basket, posting a sizable 52-30 edge in points in the paint, fueled by the play of Brown.

FIRST QUARTER
• Ball State came out on fire, knocking down 12 of its 17 shots (70.6 percent) from the field to jump out to a 30-19 advantage. Seven different Cardinals tallied points in the opening 10 minutes to assume a lead they would not give up, spearheaded a game-high nine from Freeman.

• The Rockets were able to stay within striking distance thanks to strong play of Lockett and Wiard, as they were credited with all but two points at the outset.  

SECOND QUARTER
• Lockett and Wiard remained dialed-in offensively in the second stanza, tallying Toledo's first 17 points to set the deficit at nine, 48-39, at intermission.

• The Rockets' dynamic duo accounted for 34 of the Rockets' points in the opening half. Lockett led the way with 21 points, knocking down a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Wiard had 13.  

• On the flip side, the tandem of Dis Agustsdottir and Freeman sparked Ball State's attack with 13 and 12 points in the half, respectively. At one point midway through the second period, Dis Agustsdottir ripped off three-consecutive field goals to help the home team build a three-possession lead at the break.     

THIRD QUARTER
• The Rockets' deficit was double figures for most the third quarter, but a mini 11-7 rally to close out the quarter pulled them within nine, 69-60. Freshman Sammi Mikononwicz started the late run with five-consecutive points, before Lockett finished it with back-to-back layups.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Toledo continued to chip away at BSU to begin the final stanza, receiving back-to-back layups from redshirt freshman Yaniah Curry and newcomer Halle Idowu to close the margin to 70-64 with 9:06 left in regulation.

• Unfortunately for the Rockets, Ball State countered with a game-sealing 12-5 burst to stretch the deficit back to double figures, 82-69 at the 4:24 mark. Brown was a one-person wrecking crew during this pivotal stretch, scoring the final 10 points to put the game out of reach.

UP NEXT
• Toledo will travel to Ohio (4-3, 2-2 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.