TOLEDO, Ohio— The Toledo women's basketball team hosted Duke on Sunday, falling to the Blue Devils by a score of 58-41 in front of 5,427 fans at Savage Arena.
 
The Rockets (3-1) trailed Duke (5-0) by just three points, 17-14, at the end of the first quarter, but were outscored 15-3 in the second frame. Despite hanging with the Blue Devils in the second half, Toledo was not able to overcome the early deficit.
 
"This game makes us better, regardless of the outcome it makes us better," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "We had a chance to play against a high-caliber opponent at home, which doesn't happen very often. Having to go against the length, athleticism, and height will make us better. If you take out that second quarter, we played them to five points. I think that's something we can feel good about, I was really proud of that second half. There's some good that comes from this game, but there is also a lot to work on."
 
Juniors Khera Goss and Nan Garcia tied for the team lead with 11 points, and senior Quinesha Lockett was close behind with nine points. Garcia was 3-for-4 from three-point range, and Goss connected on two of her three-pointers as well. Junior Sammi Mikonowicz led Toledo with six rebounds and Lockett had a game-high five assists.
 
Duke's leading scorer was Reigan Richardson, who scored a game-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Kennedy Brown was close behind with 12 points and also collected nine rebounds.
 
Next up for Toledo is the Daytona Beach Invitational next weekend. The Rockets will face Penn State on Friday and UT Arlington on Saturday. Both matches will tip off at 1:15 p.m. at the Ocean Center.
 
1^st Quarter

• Toledo jumped out to an early lead thanks to deft shooting from Goss. The junior guard scored UT's first seven points of the game, and her basket at the 7:37 mark gave the Rockets a 7-4 advantage.
• Duke scored the next four points to take its first lead of the game, holding the Rockets to without a basket for nearly three minutes.
• Garcia knocked down her first three of the day at the 4:32 mark of the quarter to snap Toledo's cold streak and make it 8-7.
• The Blue Devils ended the first quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 17-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.

 
2^nd Quarter

• Duke dominated the second quarter, scoring the first 13 points to take a commanding 30-14 lead.
• The Rockets connected on just 1-of-9 shots in the second quarter, the lone basket being a Garcia three-pointer with 1:09 to play.
• The Blue Devils capped off the second stanza with a pair of free throws to put the score at 32-17 heading into halftime.

 
3^rd Quarter

• Sophomore Jessica Cook scored Toledo's first basket of the third quarter and Lockett followed that up with two free throws on the next possession to put the score at 34-21 in favor of the Blue Devils at the 7:25 mark
• Duke responded with a 12-2 run in the middle potion of the quarter to push its lead to 23, 46-24.
• Garcia's third trey of the night made it 46-27 with just over a minute to play in the quarter, but Duke's Mia Heide scored on the very next possession to put the score at 48-27 entering the fourth quarter.

 
4^th Quarter

• The Blue Devils opened the fourth quarter with a 5-2 run to take their largest lead of the game, 53-29 advantage with 8:23 left in the game.
• Toledo ended the game strong, outscoring Duke 12-5 over the rest of the way.
• Lockett accounted for six of those points, including two baskets on consecutive possessions.
• The final score settled at 58-41 when the final horn sounded.

 
 
 
 
Postgame Press Conference - Toledo vs. Duke