TOLEDO, Ohio – Junior Quinesha Lockett scored 24 of her season-high 30 points in the second half to lead the University of Toledo women's basketball team to a 75-53 victory over Loyola (Md.) at Savage Arena on Saturday.

The Rockets (5-2) trailed the Greyhounds (3-7) at halftime, 28-27, but would go on to make 17-of-27 shots from the floor (63 percent) in the second half to win by 22 points, the third time they have won by at least 20 points this season. 

"I'm proud of the way we played today," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "We had a rough second quarter, but I was really pleased with the way we responded in the second half. Our staff did a great job coming up with adjustments at halftime and I'm proud of our players for not hanging their heads after missing some shots in that second quarter. I think we talked much more and defended better in the second half as well."

Lockett was extraordinary in the second half, making 7-of-8 shots from the floor, including all four of her three-point field goals and all six of her free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes.

Junior Sophia Wiard nearly registered a triple-double, scoring 12 points while collecting nine rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore Nan Garcia and freshman Jessica Cook both scored nine points apiece, and senior Mariah Copeland scored six points off the bench. Sophomore Sammi Mikonowicz pulled down seven rebounds and sophomore Halle Idowu grabbed a season-high five boards.

As a team, Toledo shot an even 50 percent (26-for-52) and made 11-of-26 shots from beyond the arc, Loyola shot 42.9 percent (21-for-49) and made just 3-of-9 three pointers. The Rockets also won the battle on the glass, pulling down 34 rebounds while the Greyhounds recorded 23.

After taking a break from competition due to final exams, Toledo will wrap up non-conference play with road games at SIU-Edwardsville (Dec. 19) and Missouri State (Dec. 21).

1^st Quarter

• Sophomore Khera Goss made the first basket of the game and Wiard followed that up with a three-pointer to give Toledo an early 5-0 lead.
• Loyola's first score came at the 6:39 mark on a trey from Laura Salmeron that put her team within two points.
• That's as close as the Greyhounds would get in the first quarter, as the Rockets would take a seven-point advantage, 18-11, into the second.

 
2^nd Quarter

• Loyola came out firing in the second quarter, using a 14-3 run to take a 25-21 lead with 2:15 remaining in the first half. The only Rocket bucket in hat time was a three-pointer from Copeland at 5:54 of the quarter.
• Toledo scored the next six points to move ahead by two, 27-25, in the final minute, but a Greyhound three-pointer gave them a one-point lead, 28-27, heading into halftime.
• The second quarter proved to be the outlier, as it was the only time Loyola outshot Toledo. The Greyhounds made 61.5 percent (8-for-13) of their shots in the second stanza, while UT made just 21.4 percent (3-for-14).

 
 
3^rd Quarter

• Garcia made the first shot of the second half to put Toledo back on top.
• Loyola scored nine of the next 12 points, however, to take its biggest lead of the day, 37-31, at the 6:54 mark of the third quarter.
• Trailing by one, 41-40, the Rockets scored six straight points to take a five-point lead, 46-41, with 1:22 to go in the third quarter. Four of the six points came on free throws from Lockett, who took care of business at the charity stripe.
• Two late Greyhound free throws trimmed the Toledo lead to four, 48-44, heading into the final quarter.

 
4^th Quarter

• The Rockets dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Greyhounds 27-9 and making 71.4 percent of their shots (10-of-14).
• Lockett was especially effective, scoring 15 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter.
• Toledo started the final frame on an 11-1 run that pushed its lead into double digits, 59-45, with 7:08 to go in the game.
• A layup from Lockett sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Rockets a 21-point lead, 70-49, with 3:17 to go. The spurt was capped by a three from senior Jayda Jansen.
• Copeland's three-pointer with 50 seconds to go in the game gave Toledo a 75-53 lead, which would hold as the final score.

Head Coach Tricia Cullop Post-game. 


Junior Quinesha Lockett Post-game.