TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team opens Mid-American Conference play at Miami on Wednesday, Jan. 3. The contest between the Rockets and RedHawks will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.

Following a challenging non-conference slate that saw Toledo post a 7-3 record, it now begins its quest for a third straight MAC Championship. UT's game against Miami is the first of 18 conference games on the docket for this season.

Last Time Out
The Rockets closed out non-conference play with a 94-52 win vs. Hillsdale on Dec. 30.

Toledo led by double-digits at the end of the first quarter and saw its advantage balloon into the 20's near the midway point of the second quarter. The third quarter was a bit more even, but the Rockets shot a blistering 69.2% from the floor (9-for-13) in the fourth quarter to close things out in its most productive offensive game of the season.

Four Rockets scored in double figures on Saturday, with Sophia Wiard contributing a game-high 20 points. She knocked down 6-of-8 shots from the floor while going 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Wiard turned in a terrific all-around performance vs. the Chargers, adding seven assists, six rebounds, five steals, while only turning the ball over once. Khera Goss scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Nan Garcia added 13 points. Hannah Noveroske was one rebound shy of a double-double, contributing 10 points and nine boards. Sammi Mikonowicz led all players with 11 rebounds.

All-Time Series vs. Miami
Toledo leads the all-time series vs. Miami, 42-31, and has won the last four meetings. The RedHawks, however, hold a 19-16 advantage when playing in Oxford. The Rockets have won the last four meetings, the last of which was a 71-58 win at Millett Hall on Feb. 11, 2023.

Rocket Notes

• The Rockets scored a season-high 94 points in the win vs. Hillsdale last Saturday, the most points in a single game since they scored 99 vs. Madonna on Dec. 4, 2016.
• Toledo also set season-highs in rebounds (49), assists (20), and steals (12) in the victory vs. the Chargers.
• Toledo is the MAC's best free throw shooting team (75.3%) and is shooting 79.7% from the charity stripe over its last three games.
• Sophia Wiard ranks third in the MAC in free throw shooting (84.6%) and is Toledo's all-time leading free throw shooter (83.6%).
• Toledo ranks second in the MAC in scoring defense (61.00) and has held opponents to fewer than 60 points on five occasions.
• Sophia Wiard leads the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.27) and ranks second in assists (5.00). She has led Toledo in assists in eight of 10 games this year.
• Wiard has scored at least 20 points in each of the last two games, the first time in her career she has posted back-to-back 20-point performances. She scored 21 points at Duke on Dec. 20 and 20 points vs. Hillsdale on Dec. 30.
• Wiard is approaching the program's all-time minutes played record. The fifth-year point guard has been on the court for 4,075 minutes during her Rocket career and trails only Andola Dortch (4,160) and Naama Shafir (4,218).
• Hannah Noveroske is averaging 1.40 BPG, which ranks third in the MAC. She had a season-high three blocks against Cincinnati and Michigan.
• Khera Goss is averaging 13.7 PPG over her last three contests and is shooting 55.5% from the floor during that time.

About Miami
Miami is 2-8 entering MAC play, its two wins coming against Xavier and Oakland. Jadyn Scott is the lone RedHawk averaging double figures in scoring (12.6 PPG) and has two 20-point performances this season. Head Coach Glenn Box is in his first season with Miami, having spent the past seven seasons on staff at Indiana.

Next Up
Toledo will visit Eastern Michigan on Jan. 6 before hosting Western Michigan on Jan. 10 for its first home MAC game of the year.

The WMU game is part of the Rockets' Winter Spectacular, during which fans can purchase discounted bleacher tickets for $8.00. Tickets are based on availability, with prices increasing to $9.00 on game day. To purchase tickets for the Winter Spectacular, 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/WinterSpectacular.