OXFORD, Ohio – Sophia Wiard scored a season-high 26 points and Hannah Noveroske nearly recorded a double-double as the Toledo women's basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 70-52 win at Miami on Wednesday night.

The Rockets (8-3, 1-0 MAC) and RedHawks (2-9, 0-1 MAC) traded leads in the first half, though UT led by two heading into halftime. Toledo was able to increase its lead to six by the end of the third quarter and ended the game on a 12-0 run to turn a close game into a sizable victory.

Toledo committed an uncharacteristic 10 turnovers in the first quarter but had just five the rest of the way. Better ball security, coupled with season highs in three-pointers (13) and blocks (9), helped propel the Rockets to their first league win of the year.

"They surprised us defensively in the first quarter, but once we settled in I thought we did a nice job," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "After those first-quarter jitters, I thought we did a wonderful job taking care of the basketball. I was really proud of Hannah Noveroske, and I thought Sophia Wiard played her tail off. Both of them stepped up big time for our team tonight."

Wiard was outstanding, connecting on 9-of-15 shots from the floor and 6-of-7 field goals from beyond the arc. She also added a season-high eight assists and six rebounds to help the cause. Wiard has now scored at least 20 points in three straight games.

Noveroske scored a season-high 15 points, making 7-of-10 shots, and tied her season-best rebound total with nine. Sammi Mikonowicz joined her teammates in double figures and scored 11 points. Emmi Rinat stuffed the box score with six points, six assists, five rebounds, and three blocks.

Toledo shot 43.9% from the field, making 25-of-57 shots, and made 13-of-31 three-pointers. Miami shot 40.7% (22-for-54) and made just 3-of-12 three-point field goals. The RedHawks were led offensively by Jadyn Scott (13 points) and Katey Richason (12 points).

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

1^st Quarter

• Miami grabbed an early 6-3 lead, the only Toledo points coming off a Khera Goss three-pointer.
• Hannah Noveroske scored on back-to-back possessions to put UT ahead, 7-6, with 5:27 to go in the quarter.
• With 1:11 left, Sophia Wiard successfully completed a four-point play to make it 16-15, which would remain as the score heading into the break.

2^nd Quarter

• Wiard's three-pointer just seconds into the second quarter put Toledo ahead, 19-15.
• Miami kept the Rockets off the scoreboard for the next 3:51 of game time and proceeded to take a 21-19 lead.
• Wiard broke the Rockets' scoreless drought at the 6:02 mark with a three-pointer to reclaim the lead, putting the score at 22-21.
• Emmi Rinat knocked down a three in the closing seconds of the quarter to put Toledo on top, 31-29, heading into halftime.

3^rd Quarter

• The second half began with both teams trading baskets, and the Rockets held a 39-35 lead at the midway point.
• Miami pulled within a point, 44-43, with 2:04 to play, Toledo answered with five straight points to make it 49-43.
• Noveroske capped the scoring in the third quarter to bring the ledger to 51-45 when the horn sounded.

4^th Quarter

• Rinat's three-pointer at 7:41 was the lone UT field goal in the first half of the fourth quarter. Noveroske and Sammi Mikonowicz contributed points from the charity stripe.
• Toledo held Miami to just four points in the first five minutes to hold onto its lead.
• The Rockets ended the night on an explosive note, scoring 12 straight points to end the game.
• Wiard scored eight of the final 12 points, with her sixth three-pointer of the night providing the exclamation point to Toledo's first MAC win of the year.