Toledo Goes For Eighth Straight Win in MAC Road Game at Northern Illinois

Saturday, January 7

DeKalb, Ill.

2:00 p.m. ET

University of Toledo

Northern Illinois

Toledo brings a seven-game winning streak and a 14-game road winning streak into Saturday's game at Northern Illinois.

Photo by: PROPERTY OF EVANNELLOPHOTO 2018

Toledo Goes For Eighth Straight Win in MAC Road Game at Northern Illinois

1/6/2023 11:56:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

Rockets and Huskies will tip off at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team will attempt to win its eighth consecutive game in its first road test in Mid-American Conference play on Saturday when it battles Northern Illinois in DeKalb. The Rockets (10-2, 1-0 MAC) and Huskies (8-4, 0-1 MAC) will tip off at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

Toledo opened MAC play at home on Wednesday with a 71-53 triumph over Western Michigan. The win was the seventh in a row for the Rockets, and they now own the longest active winning streak in the MAC. They never trailed in Wednesday's win over the Broncos (5-7, 0-1 MAC), shooting 57.7 percent from the floor in the second half to pull away and notch their third straight double-digit win and their first conference victory of the year.

With a record of 10-2, the Rockets are off to their best start since 2012-13 when they rolled to an 11-1 record in their first 12 games.

Playing away from home has not been a problem for Toledo, which owns the nation's longest road winning streak at 14 games. The only other teams that have won at least 10 straight road games are No. 1 South Carolina (12) and No. 2 Stanford (10).

Following Saturday's game at NIU, Toledo returns home for a battle against Ball State (11-3, 1-0) on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Bleacher tickets for next week's game vs. Ball State (Jan. 11) are available for $8.00 in advance and $9.00 at the door. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at the Sullivan Athletic Complex in Savage Arena, contact the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or go online to UTRockets.com/tix.

Rocket Notes

Once again, the Rockets lead the MAC and are among the national leaders in average attendance, ranking 23rd nationally (3,971). They rank third among mid-major teams, only trailing New Mexico (4,967) and Gonzaga (4,811).
Sophia Wiard is approaching 1,000 career points and currently sits at 966. She will become the 32nd member of the 1,000 point club at Toledo and the first to do so since teammate Quinesha Lockett did so last year.
Both Wiard (4.5) and Lockett (4.0) rank in the top five in the MAC in assists per game, ranking first and fourth, respectively. Both players have either led Toledo or tied for the team lead in assists in eight of 12 games this season.
Wiard has led Toledo in rebounding in the last three games, tying a career-high in the Dayton and Oakland games with 11 rebounds. She has 31 rebounds over her last three games
One of the top defensive teams in the league, Toledo ranks first in scoring defense (57.83) and three-point field goal percentage defense (25.4%) and ranks third in opponent field goal percentage (38.0%).
During its current seven-game winning streak, Toledo is shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and averaging 72.3 PPG. Opponents are shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and averaging just 54.7 PPG.
The Rockets have jumped on teams early during their recent winning streak, outscoring the opposition 248-194 in the first half over the last six games and 137-82 in the first quarter during the same stretch.
Three players are averaging double figures in scoring during the winning streak: Quinesha Lockett (13.9 PPG), Sammi Mikonowicz (10.9 PPG), and Khera Goss (10.6 PPG). Both Goss and Mikonowicz are shooting 50 percent or higher from the floor during the streak.

About Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois brings a record of 8-4 into Saturday's game and lost its first conference game of the year on Wednesday, a 79-62 setback at Central Michigan. The Huskies are led by senior forward A'Jah Davis, who has seven double-doubles and is averaging 14.8 PPG and 11.1 RPG. Senior guard Chelby Koker ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring (15.3 PPG) and has three 20-point games this season. NIU crashes the offensive glass as well as any team in the MAC, ranking third in offensive rebounds per game (12.6).