MUNCIE, Ind. – The Toledo women's basketball team won a 72-70 thriller at Ball State on Saturday to claim sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference and extend its winning streak to 11 games.

Toledo was leading by three points late in the contest when Sophia Wiard hit a pair of free throws to extend the Rockets' lead to 72-67 with eight seconds left. Ball State's Anna Clephane knocked down a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to cut the lead to 72-70. On the ensuing inbounds play, Wiard received a long pass but was called for traveling when she slipped with 0.4 of a second left on the clock. The Cardinals failed to get a shot off before the clock expired on the game's final play.

Toledo (23-4, 14-2 MAC) and Ball State (23-6, 13-3 MAC) were locked in a three-way tie for first place with Bowling Green (23-4, 13-3 MAC) entering play on Saturday. The Rockets' win coupled with BGSU's loss to Buffalo left them alone atop the conference standings.

There is still much to be decided in the MAC standings heading into the final week of the regular season. Bowling Green and Ball State will play a critical contest at the Stroh Center on Wednesday and Toledo hosts fourth-place Kent State that night as well. The Rockets end the regular season at home against the Falcons in the Battle of I-75 presented by Cooper Tires on Saturday, March 4.

Ball State led for much of the first half on Saturday, but Toledo outscored them 28-19 in the second quarter and took a 42-37 lead into halftime. From the 3:48 point of the second quarter through the 2:21 mark of the third, UT outscored Ball State 25-9 to take a 17-point lead. The Cardinals didn't go down quietly though, rallying to within two points with a chance to win or tie the game in their final possession.

"It wasn't pretty at the end. The fourth quarter wasn't our best," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "It takes an awful lot to beat a team like this. Ball State is very, very good. They're well-coached and I have a lot of respect for them. I couldn't be more proud of how focused our players were today. It took a lot of fortitude and intensity to win today. Ball State is not an easy team to guard because of the amount of screens they set, but I thought we did a heck of a job.  Even though it got a little dicey at the end, we did what we had to do to win."

Senior Quinesha Lockett scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, her 11^th 20-point game of the season. Junior Sammi Mikonowicz recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Sophia Wiard was one rebound away from a double-double with 17 points and nine boards. Junior Nan Garcia contributed 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Ball State had three players reach double figures, with Ally Becki's 18 points leading the way. Madelyn Bischoff and Annie Rauch scored 13 points and 12 points, respectively.

Toledo won the rebounding battle, 38-31, and tallied 11 offensive rebounds.

Toledo will wrap up the regular season at home vs. Kent State on Wednesday, March 1 and vs. Bowling Green on Senior Day on Saturday, March 4.

To purchase tickets to any Toledo women's basketball game, 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.

1^st Quarter

• The first quarter began as a back-and-forth affair before an 8-0 Ball State run put UT in a 16-9 hole with 2:24 to go.
• Toledo held Ball State scoreless for the rest of the first quarter, scoring five points down the stretch to pull within two, 16-14. Sammi Mikonowicz made a pair of free throws and Nan Garcia drained a three-pointer to help close the gap.

2^nd Quarter

• Ball State's Madelyn Bischoff opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, but Toledo scored five straight points to tie the game at 19-19.
• The Rockets took their first lead of the game on a basket by Mikonowicz at the 7:50 mark, putting the score at 22-21.
• Toledo went the next three minutes without a field goal, but was able to rack up points at the free throw line to maintain its lead.
• With just seconds remaining in the half, Sophia Wiard was fouled and Ball State committed a technical foul to send her to the line for four free throws. She knocked down three, propelling the Rockets into halftime with a 42-35 lead.

3^rd Quarter

• Nan Garcia opened the second half with a jumper that kicked off a 16-6 run for Toledo.
• UT's scoring run ended with nine straight points to put the score at 58-41 with 2:21 left, its largest lead of the game.
• Ally Becki scored Ball State's final six points of the quarter, but was not able to will her team to within 10 points. Toledo led, 60-47, heading into the finale frame.

4^th Quarter

• Becki started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, but Toledo answered with six straight points to keep its lead sizable at 66-50.
• Ball State began its comeback attempt in earnest with 7:21 to go, scoring 12 of the next 14 points to make it 68-62 with 1:52 to play.
• Wiard's jumper at the 1:26 mark put the lead back at eight points, but the Cardinals scored four straight to make it a one-possession game, 70-67, with 41 seconds remaining.
• Two clutch free throws from Wiard with eight seconds to go extended the lead to five before Ball State's Anna Clephane knocked down a three to make it 72-70 with four seconds left.
• A Toledo turnover in the final second gave Ball State one last chance, but the Cardinals failed to get a shot off before the clock expired.