TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's basketball team returns home to host Ball State on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on ESPN3.

The Rockets' come-from-behind victory at Ohio on Wednesday night pushed them to 20-4 and 14-1 in Mid-American Conference play. With the win, they officially clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament, the first team on the women's side to do so. UT leads second-place Buffalo by three games in the MAC standings with five games remaining on the schedule. Akron sits four games back of Toledo, but has six games remaining.

A Rockets' win and a loss by both Buffalo and Akron on Saturday would clinch the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament for Toledo and at least a share of the MAC regular season championship.

Toledo trailed Ohio by 17 points late in the second quarter on Wednesday but came all the way back to win, 76-73, at the Convocation Center in Athens.

With 3:02 remaining in the second quarter, Ohio's CeCe Hooks made both free throws to make the score 40-23. Toledo closed the gap to 11 points before the end of the half, then proceeded to outscore the Bobcats 29-16 in the third quarter to take a 60-58 lead, its first of the night. Ohio fought back to tie the score at 68-68 with 4:23 left in the game, but on the next possession Quinesha Lockett's three-point play gave Toledo the lead for good.

The 17-point comeback is the largest for Toledo this season and its second double-digit comeback in the last month. The Rockets previously came back to win from 15 points down at Ball State on Jan. 19.

Sophia Wiard had a terrific night, scoring a season-high 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting and providing a critical block with 55 seconds remaining on what would have been the go-ahead basket.

Following Saturday's game, Toledo will head to Central Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Last Time vs. Ball State
Despite trailing by 15 points late in the first quarter in their previous meeting, Toledo came back to defeat Ball State, 58-55, in Muncie, Ind. on Jan. 19.

The Rockets fell behind early, trailing the Cardinals 21-6 at the end of the first quarter, but chipped away at their sizable deficit until taking their first lead of the night in the third quarter. Toledo trailed by nine points, 52-43, with 8:06 to go, but ended the game on a 15-3 tear to stun Ball State.

At the time, the 15-point deficit was the largest that Toledo has overcome to win a game this season and the largest comeback since Jan. 26, 2014 when the team stormed back from 17 points down at Ohio.

Quinesha Lockett led the way offensively with 14 points and Khera Goss also reached double figures, scoring 11. -  Jessica Cook added nine points, six rebounds, and four assists in her first appearance in the starting lineup since the beginning of the season.

Hannah Noveroske added eight points, nine rebounds, and three blocks to help the cause.

Toledo once again held its opponent to an off shooting night, with Ball State making just 20-of-59 shots (33.9 percent) from the floor. The Rockets made 22-of-57 shots 38.6 percent), but converted 11-of-13 free throws, including 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter.

Rocket Notes

• The Rockets received votes in this week's AP Poll for the first time since the final poll of the 2012-13 season.
• Toledo's 14-1 start to MAC play is tied for its best in program history with the following teams: 2012-13, 2000-01, 1998-99, and 1991-92.
• The 2012-13, 2000-01, and 1991-92 teams all went 15-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
• Toledo's 17-point comeback in Wednesday's game at Ohio was the largest of the season. The Rockets previously came back from a 15-point deficit in the previous meeting against Ball State on Jan. 19.
• UT leads the MAC in field goal percentage defense (36.2 percent) and has held opposing teams to a field goal percentage of 35 percent or lower 11 times this season.
• Toledo's averaged scoring margin in conference play is +10.9, by far the best in the MAC. Buffalo (+6.6) sits in second place.
• Offensively, the Rockets have cracked 70 points in 10 of the last 11 games. UT reached the 70-point benchmark five times in the first 12 games of the season.
• Perennially among the national leaders in attendance, Toledo is right back near the top of Division I in 2021-22. UT is averaging 3,532 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. 19 against Ball State.
• In fact, Toledo's average attendance is higher than all other Division I schools in Ohio; Ohio State is in second place with an average attendance of 3,077.
• The Rockets are the top free throw shooting team in the conference (73.9 percent) and boast the top free throw shooter as well (Sophia Wiard, 85.2 percent).
• Toledo has had a MAC-high six different players record a double-double this season: Quinesha Lockett (4), Jessica Cook (3), Sammi Mikonowicz (3), Sophia Wiard (2), Nan Garcia (1), and Hannah Noveroske (1).

 
About Ball State
Ball State (14-9, 7-6 MAC) enters Saturday's game in sixth place in the MAC standings. After a five-game winning streak had them in third place on Feb. 9, the Cardinals have lost two close games to send them down the MAC leaderboard. After losing leading scorer Anna Clephane (16.2 PPG) last month due to injury, Ball State has been led offensively by Sydney Freeman (10.7 PPG) and Thelma Dis Agustsdottir (10.5 PPG).