TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's basketball team heads to Northern Illinois this Saturday, Jan. 15 for an afternoon MAC contest. The Rockets (11-3, 5-0 MAC) and Huskies (4-7, 1-2 MAC) will face off at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill. at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

Toledo's outstanding start to MAC play continued on Wednesday with its 74-49 win over Central Michigan at Savage Arena. The victory pushed UT to 5-0 in conference play, its best start since the 1998-99 season when the team won its first seven league games. Also highlighting Wednesday's game was Quinesha Lockett's 24-point performance that pushed her across the 1,000 career point benchmark. Lockett is the 31^st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

In addition to her 24 points, Lockett also tied a career-high with 12 rebounds, her third double-double of the season. Jayda Jansen started her first game as a Rocket and scored 14 points, while Khera Goss tied a career-best with 13 points and tallied three steals as well. Hannah Noveroske contributed 12 points and tied a career-high with nine rebounds.

Toledo grabbed a season-high 51 rebounds against CMU, its first 50-plus rebound game since the 2017-18 season when it tallied 53 boards against Ohio on Jan. 10, 2018. UT did an exceptional job crashing the boards on offense, collecting 12 offensive rebounds compared to CMU's three. The Rockets held the Chippewas to just 17-of-58 shooting (29.3 percent) and 49 points, the third time this season they have held an opponent to fewer than 50 points.

Toledo is one of two MAC teams to be undefeated in conference play, with Buffalo (3-0) being the other. The Rockets have won their five MAC contests by an average of 13 points, and they are shooting 43.1 percent against conference opponents while holding the opposition to a 33.1 field goal percentage. Noveroske has been a big part of Toledo's success to begin MAC play. The junior center is averaging 12.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and a whopping 3.0 BPG, far and away the most in the league in MAC competition.

Next up for Toledo is a road contest at Ball State on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The Rockets return home the following Saturday, Jan. 22, to host Buffalo.

Rocket Notes

• The last time the Toledo played in DeKalb, Sophia Wiard made history by tying the school record with 42 points in UT's 82-79 win on Dec. 10, 2020.
• The Rockets are off to a 5-0 start in conference play for the first time since the 1998-99 season, when the team won its first seven conference games.
• Toledo has won its first six home games of the 2021-22 season, its best start at home since winning the first nine home contests of the 2017-18 campaign.
• Defense has been a strength for the Rockets this season, as they have led the MAC in scoring defense (57.71) and field goal percentage defense (34.9%) for much of the season. UT ranks 23^rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense, and opposing teams have shot above 40% from the field just once.
• In MAC play, opponents are averaging just 56.4 PPG and are shooting just 33.1% from the field against Toledo.
• Perennially among the national leaders in attendance, Toledo is right back near the top of Division I in 2021-22. UT is averaging 3,345 fans per game in three home games this year, which ranks 24th in the nation in average attendance. Toledo's next home game is Saturday, Jan. 22 against Buffalo.
• Toledo shot 50% from three-point range at Western Michigan last Saturday, the second time the team has shot at least 50% from long range this season; they made 52.6% of their threes against Loyola (Md.) (10-for-19).
• UT has shot at least 40% from the field in each of the last five games.
• Toledo trailed Eastern Michigan by as many as nine points in their matchup, which is tied for the largest deficit overcome to win in a game this season; UT also trailed Oakland by as many as nine points before coming back to win that game.
• UT's free throw shooting has been very good the last three games. The Rockets are 43-for-54 (79.6%) from the line over their last three contests, which has propelled them to third in the MAC in free throw shooting (71.4%).
• Toledo's 51 rebounds against Central Michigan on Wednesday were a season high and the most in a game since they had 53 rebounds against Ohio on Jan. 10, 2018.
• There have been three, five-block performances by a MAC player this season, and Noveroske has two of them. Central Michigan's Jahari Smith has the other, she had five blocks against Northern Illinois on Jan. 1.
• Quinesha Lockett sits eighth in the MAC in scoring (17.6 PPG). Lockett has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games this season and has cracked 20 points seven times. She is one of four players in the MAC to have at least seven 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.

 
About Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois enters Saturday's game with a 4-7 record and a 1-2 mark in league play. NIU's Wednesday tilt at Western Michigan was postponed, so its last game was last Saturday at Ohio, a 71-68 victory. Saturday's game will be a battle between the top scoring defense in the league in Toledo (57.71) and the lowest-ranked scoring defense in the league in NIU (76.36). Chelby Koker leads the Huskies in scoring, averaging 18.1 PPG, while teammates A'Jah Davis (14.6 PPG) and Janae Poisson (13.7) also average double-figures in points per game.