TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's basketball team opens conference play at Kent State on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting between the Rockets (6-3) and Golden Flashes (8-1) at the M.A.C. Center will be streamed live on BoxCast.
 
Toledo enters Wednesday's tilt having won three of its last four games to conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule. UT's final road trip before MAC play took the team to SIU-Edwardsville and Missouri State, where the Rockets split their games against the Cougars and Lady Bears.
 
At SIUE on Sunday, Dec. 19, Toledo won 66-57 behind a 20-point performance from Sophia Wiard. The Rockets trailed the Cougars by two, 33-31, at the midway point of the third quarter before scoring the next six points to take a four-point lead, 37-33, with 3:21 to go. UT would grow its lead to double figures by the end of the third quarter and stayed in control for the remainder of the game to clinch its third straight victory. Wiard made 8-of-13 shots from the floor and pulled down eight rebounds in the victory.
 
The road trip ended with a 60-46 setback at Missouri State on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The Rockets faced a tough opponent in the Lady Bears and had an uncharacteristically off shooting day, making just 27.9 percent (17-for-61) of their shots. Missouri State did not fare much better, shooting 32.8 percent from the floor on 20-for-61 shooting.

Entering conference play, the Rockets are led offensively by Quinesha Lockett (18.6 PPG) and Sophia Wiard (10.8 PPG) and they have three players averaging at least five rebounds per game: Wiard (6.7 RPG), Sammi Mikonowicz (5.6 RPG), and Jessica Cook (5.2 RPG).
 
Following Wednesday's MAC opener, Toledo will return home to host Akron on New Year's Day. The game between the Rockets and Zips on Saturday, Jan. 1 will begin at 2:00 p.m. and be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
Rocket Notes

• Toledo leads the all-time series with Kent State, 43-35, but the Golden Flashes have won the last three meetings as well as the last three games played at the M.A.C. Center.
• Junior Quinesha Lockett has 925 career points, putting her 75 points away from becoming the 31st player in program history with 1,000 career points.
• Head Coach Tricia Cullop has won 396 games in her head coaching career, putting her just four victories away from 400.
• The Rockets are 24-16 all-time in MAC openers, having won two of the last three.
• This will be the fourth time in the last five seasons that Toledo has opened up conference play on the road.
• Toledo is off to a 6-3 start this season, the third time in the last four seasons the team has owned a 6-3 record through its first nine games.
• Perennially among the national leaders in attendance, Toledo is right back near the top of Division I in 2021-22. UT is averaging 3,619 fans per game in three home games this year, which ranks 22nd in the nation in average attendance. Toledo's next home game is Saturday, Jan. 1 against Akron.
• The Rockets lead the MAC in scoring defense (58.44) and field goal percentage defense (35.8%). Toledo has held opponents to 60 points or fewer in six of nine games this season, and opposing teams have shot above 40% from the field just once against Toledo.
• UT registered a season-best 11 steals in the win over SIUE last Sunday.
• Quinesha Lockett sits sixth in the MAC in scoring (18.6 PPG). Lockett has scored in double figures in eight of nine games this season and has cracked 20 points five times. She is one of five players in the MAC to have at least five 20-point performances.
• Lockett is also one of five players in the MAC this season to have at least 30 points in a game; she accomplished that feat against Loyola (Md.) at home on Dec. 11.
• Sammi Mikonowicz has at least seven rebounds in each of the last three games, including a season-high 10 at SIUE (12/19).
• Few players stuff the stat sheet like Sophia Wiard. She has six games with at least 10 points, six games with at least seven rebounds, and five games with at least five assists.
• Wiard led the MAC in assist/turnover ratio last season and sits fourth the league this season (2.47).
• One more Wiard note: she crashes the boards as well as anybody in the MAC; she's currently second in the league in defensive rebounds per game (6.22).

About Kent State
Kent State enters Wednesday's game with a record of 8-1, but hasn't played since Dec. 11 after its home game against Florida State was canceled on Dec. 21. The Golden Flashes own a win over No. 19 UCLA on Nov. 26 at the Gulf Coast Showcase, where they also defeated Penn State. Kent State ranks second in the MAC in both scoring offense (77.33) and scoring defense (59.44) and is led offensively by sophomore guard Casey Santoro (14.2 PPG).