Battle of I-75 Returns to Savage Arena on Saturday

Saturday, February 12

Toledo, Ohio

2:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

Bowling Green

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Toledo hosts Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon, the second meeting this season between arch-rivals.

Photo by: Daniel Miller/University of Toledo

Battle of I-75 Returns to Savage Arena on Saturday

2/11/2022 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's basketball team hosts arch-rival Bowling Green on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Savage Arena. The Battle of I-75 is set to tip off at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN3.

The Rockets (18-4, 12-1 MAC) and Falcons (11-9, 6-5 MAC) will be meeting for the second time this season. UT won the previous meeting, 71-67, at the Stroh Center on Saturday, Jan. 29.

Saturday's iteration of the Battle of I-75 presented by Cooper Tire will be a Gold Out, so fans should wear their gold Rocket gear to the game. Saturday's contest will also feature a special recognition of the 2011 WNIT Championship Team for Alumni Day.

The first-place Rockets just keep rolling. On Wednesday in Oxford, they captured their fourth straight win with an 86-63 victory over Miami to keep its place atop the Mid-American Conference standings. With Buffalo's convincing 93-68 win over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Toledo's cushion remains at two games over the Bulls.

The Rockets' 86 points on Wednesday matched their season high, which they also achieved in a win earlier this season over St. Francis (Pa.). Despite some back-and-forth in the first quarter, Toledo held control of Wednesday's game for nearly all 40 minutes. Miami (7-14, 3-9 MAC) led late in the first quarter, but the Rockets quickly surged ahead and did not look back, going on a 29-7 run to turn their small deficit into a double-digit lead.

The Rockets are averaging 71.5 PPG in MAC play and they are outscoring conference opponents by an average of 10.1 PPG in 13 MAC contests. Quinesha Lockett (17.5 PPG) and Sophia Wiard (13.0 PPG) are both averaging double figures in scoring in league play.

Following Saturday's game, Toledo will play three of the next four on the road, beginning with a road test at Ohio on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Last Time vs. Bowling Green
Toledo visited arch-rival Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 29 and came away with a hard-fought 71-67 road win. Coming off their first MAC loss of the season, the Rockets bounced back to win this iteration of the Battle of I-75 at the Stroh Center.

Toledo led wire-to-wire against the Falcons, but saw a double-digit lead dwindle to just five points in the final minutes. The Rockets were able to hold on, though, and bring home a close win.

Four players scored in double figures, with Sophia Wiard leading the way with 20 points. Wiard was 6-of-10 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and made 6-of-7 free throw attempts. Jessica Cook had a strong game as well, posting her third double-double of the year with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Sammi Mikonowicz nearly had her second straight double-double, posting 10 points and nine rebounds, and Quinesha Lockett contributed 13 points.

As a team, UT connected on 26-of-60 shots (43.3 percent) and made 12-of-15 free throws. BGSU shot 38.3 percent from the field (23-for-60), but made just 3-of-19 three-point field goals. Toledo built a sizable early lead thanks to its 54.8 field goal percentage (17-for-31) in the first half.

Bowling Green was led by Amy Velasco and her game-high 21 points. Kadie Hempfling (13 points) and Jocelyn Tate (10 points) both cracked double figures as well.

Rocket Notes

Toledo's 12-1 start to MAC play is tied for its best in program history with the following teams: 2012-13, 2010-11, 2000-01, 1998-99, 1993-94, and 1991-92.
The 2012-13, 2000-01, and 1991-92 teams all went 15-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
Toledo has had a MAC-high six different players record a double-double this season: Quinesha Lockett (4), Jessica Cook (3), Sammi Mikonowicz (2), Sophia Wiard (2), Nan Garcia (1), and Hannah Noveroske (1).
As it has for nearly the entire season, Toledo leads the MAC in scoring defense (60.18) and field goal percentage defense (36.2%). UT has held opponents to a field goal percentage of 35% or lower in 10 contests this season.
In MAC play, opponents are averaging just 61.3 PPG and are shooting just 36.2% from the field against Toledo, the latter of which ranks first in the conference.
Offensively, the Rockets have cracked 70 points in eight of the last nine games. UT reached the 70-point benchmark five times in the first 12 games of the season.
Wednesday's game at Miami tied for the highest scoring output of the season for the Rockets (86 points). They also scored 86 against St. Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 8.
Perennially among the national leaders in attendance, Toledo is right back near the top of Division I in 2021-22. UT is averaging 3,419 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, Feb. 12 against Bowling Green.
The Rockets are shooting 75.5% from the free throw line in MAC play this year. They have shot over 80% from the line in a game six times in conference play.
Individually, Sophia Wiard (85.7%) and Quinesha Lockett (83.0%) are shooting above 80% from the line in conference play.
Wiard has been deadly from the free throw line all season long; she ranks second in the league with an 85.9 FT%.
Wiard made 11-of-15 free throws at Akron last Saturday, the most free throw attempts by a Rocket since Janice Monakana had 15 attempts in a game against Buffalo on Feb. 1, 2017. Wiard is the first Rocket since Nakiah Black (10 vs. Kent State on Feb. 1, 2020) to make at least 10 free throws in a game.
Quinesha Lockett sits 8th in the MAC in scoring (17.9 PPG). She's scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games this season and has cracked 20 points 11 times. She is one of five players in the MAC to have at least 11 20-point performances.
Four of the Top 20 rebounders in the MAC are Rockets: Sammi Mikonowicz (10^th, 6.77), Quinesha Lockett (16^th, 5.91), Sophia Wiard (19^th, 5.86), and Jessica Cook (19^th, 5.85). Toledo is the only team with four players inside the Top 20.
Five Rockets are averaging at least five rebounds per game in MAC play: Sammi Mikonowicz (7.6), Quinesha Lockett (6.6), Jessica Cook (6.4), Hannah Noveroske (5.6), and Sophia Wiard (5.3).
Sophia Wiard led the MAC in assist/turnover ratio last season and is in second place in the league this season (2.33), ranking 25^th in the country.
Jessica Cook crashes the offensive boards as well as anybody; the freshman is averaging 3.45 ORPG (5th in the MAC) and tied a season-high with eight offensive boards against Ohio.

About Bowling Green
The Falcons are 11-9 with a 6-5 record in MAC play this season. They are coming off a dominant 81-52 win over Northern Illinois on Wednesday, where they were led by Elissa Brett and her 20 points. BGSU sits in fifth place in the MAC, but is just one game out of third place. The top shooting team in the league (45.5 percent) is led offensively by Kadie Hempfling (11.3 PPG).