TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team will face Ball State in a huge Mid-American Conference battle for first place on Sunday evening in front of a national television audience.

The Rockets (12-3, 5-0 MAC) and Cardinals (15-2, 5-0 MAC) will face off at 6:00 p.m. at Worthen Arena on CBS Sports Network.

Toledo and Ball State are the last two unbeaten teams in MAC play and bring winning streaks of six games and nine games, respectively, into Sunday's action.

Last Time Out
Sophia Wiard turned in one of the best offensive performances ever by a Rocket on Wednesday, scoring 40 points on 12-of-17 from the field to help lead the Toledo women's basketball team to an 87-76 win at Kent State.

Toledo led Kent State for much of the game and held a six-point lead at halftime. UT shot 70.6% from the floor in the third quarter, connecting on 12-of-17 shots, to grow its lead to 62-46 heading into the final period. The Golden Flashes scored 30 points in a high-scoring fourth quarter, but the Rockets made several successful trips to the free throw line and benefited from Wiard's 16 fourth-quarter points to hang on and win.

Quinesha Lockett returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday after missing six games due to an injury. The senior guard scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

Sophia Wiard to Tie Games Played Record on Sunday
When Sophia Wiard steps onto the court for Sunday's game, she will be appearing in her 139^th career contest as a Rocket. That will tie her with Naama Shafir (2009-13) for most career games played in program history. Wiard broke Shafir's career record for minutes played at Kent State as well.

Rocket Notes

• Following its win on Wednesday, Toledo has now won 21 straight games vs. Mid-American Conference opponents, including three postseason games. That is the fifth-longest streak in the nation.
• Since the start of 2021-22 season, Toledo is 40-3 in conference play. UT is 5-0 this year, was 16-2 a year ago, and 19-1 in 2021-22.
• After scoring 40 points at Kent State on Wednesday, Sophia Wiard is now the only Rocket in program history with multiple games of 40-plus points. She shares the single-game school record of 42 points with Kim Sekulski, which she achieved vs. Northern Illinois in December of 2020.
• Wiard is one of eight Division I players with a 40-point game this season and she is the first MAC player to reach that benchmark.
• The Rockets are outrebounding their opponents 244-172 during their six-game winning streak.
• Toledo has held opponents to 50 or fewer points five times this season and have held opponents to fewer than 60 points in five of the last six.
• UT leads the MAC in scoring defense (58.53) and is the only team in the league to be holding opponents to fewer than 60 points per game.
• Toledo is the top free throw shooting team in the MAC, ranking first with a 75.5 FT%. The Rockets have made 66 trips to the free throw line over the last three games, the most over a three-game stretch this season.
• Wiard is UT's top free throw shooter (87.3%) and is third in the MAC in free throw percentage. She was 13-of-14 from the free throw line at Kent State.
• Wiard ranks second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.20) and assists (5.13). She has led Toledo in assists in 12 of 15 games this year.
• One more Wiard note: in MAC play she is shooting 55.9% from the floor (33-for-59) and a remarkable 69.6% from three-point range (16-for-23).
• Hannah Noveroske is averaging 1.40 BPG, which ranks third in the MAC. She has blocked a season-best three shots on three occasions this year, most recently at Miami.
• Noveroske has been excellent during Toledo's six-game winning streak, averaging 10.8 PPG and 6.7 RPG while connecting on 66.7% of her shots from the floor (28-for-42).

 
About Ball State
Ball State is 15-2 overall and 5-0 in MAC play entering Sunday's contest. They're currently riding a nine-game winning streak that includes a pair of wins vs. high-major teams in Pitt and Georgia. The Cardinals boast the top scoring offense in the MAC (74.18) and they are the best shooting team in the league as well, ranking first in field goal percentage (44.5%). Ally Becki ranks fifth in the MAC in scoring (14.18 PPG) and leads the league in assists (5.18 APG) while Nyla Hampton ranks atop the conference and fourth in the nation in steals (3.59 SPG).

All-Time Series vs. Ball State
Toledo leads the all-time series vs. Ball State, 61-30, and won both meetings last season. The Rockets also own a 26-17 advantage when playing in Muncie.

Next Up
Toledo's next game is Wednesday, Jan. 24 vs. Northern Illinois. To purchase Toledo Women's Basketball 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.