Second-Half Rally Pushes Rockets Past Norse, 76-73

Sunday, November 17

Toledo, Ohio

2:00 p.m

University of Toledo

2-1,0-0MAC

Northern Kentucky

2-3,0-0Horizon

Northern Ky.

Toledo

Toledo earned its second come-from-behind home victory this season in a 76-73 win against Northern Kentucky on Sunday.

Second-Half Rally Pushes Rockets Past Norse, 76-73

11/17/2024 5:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Toledo out-scored NKU 35-18 in final 13:42 of play

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team surged back from a double-digit deficit for the second time this season, overcoming a 14-point deficit in the second half in a 76-73 win over Northern Kentucky at Savage Arena on Sunday.

The Rockets (2-1, 0-0 MAC) trailed 55-41 in the third quarter, but out-scored the Norse (2-3, 0-0 Horizon League) 35-18 over the final 13:42 to come away with the victory. Trailing 73-70 entering the final minute, sophomore Kendall Carruthers hit the game-tying three-pointer before graduate student Nan Garcia delivered the game-winning putback with just 2.8 seconds to play.

Graduate student Khera Goss delivered a season-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point range. Classmate Sammi Mikonowicz added 16 points of her own, shooting 4-for-7 from the floor and a perfect 7-for-7 at the line. Carruthers finished with her second-straight 15-point effort, adding three assists which led the Rockets.

Mikonowicz and Garcia each crashed the glass for a game-high seven rebounds on the afternoon. Defensively, freshman Faith Fedd-Robinson came up with four steals and added a block to her total. Carruthers added two swipes while Garcia and Goss each tallied a block.

The victory earned Toledo its 17th-straight home win as the Rockets have now reached a full calendar year without a home defeat.

1st Quarter – Northern Kentucky 19, Toledo 15

Northern Kentucky used a 9-0 run over 1:56 to take a 9-2 lead at the 7:18 mark.
Toledo then chipped away, pulling back to a 15-15 tie with 1:10 left to play in the period.
The Nose scored on back-to-back layups to end the quarter up 19-15.
Six different Rockets scored in the period.

2nd Quarter – Northern Kentucky 42, Toledo 32

Up 26-22, the Norse went on a 12-2 run over 2:48 to extend the lead to 38-24 with 3:17 left in the half.
Back-to-back threes by Cadence Dykstra and Destiny Robinson cut the deficit to 38-30.
The Norse then extended the lead back to double digits on consecutive layups.

3rd Quarter – Northern Kentucky 62, Toledo 56

The two sides traded baskets to start the quarter, with NKU holding a 51-41 lead at the media timeout.
Down 55-41, Toledo scored eight straight points in 2:03 to cut the deficit to 55-49, the last six on Sammi Mikonowicz free throws.
Faith Fedd-Robinson's putback at the buzzer once again cut the deficit to six.

4th Quarter – Toledo 76, Northern Kentucky 73

Down by seven, the Rockets scored six straight points in 1:18 on a Khera Goss three and three made free throws by Kendall Carruthers to cut the deficit to 65-64.
Sammi Mikonowicz gave Toledo its first lead since the early minutes with an and-one putback, giving Toledo a 67-66 advantage with 5:47 to go.
The Norse scored seven of the next nine points to regain a 73-70 edge with 1:39 to play.
Kendall Carruthers drilled a three to tie the game with 51.9 seconds to play.
After a defensive stop, Nan Garcia got her own miss and put back the layup for a 75-73 lead with 2.8 seconds left. An ensuing NKU turnover sealed the game for Toledo.

Game Notes

The Rockets also extended their streak of victories against Horizon League opponents to 22 games, dating back to March 20, 2015.
Toledo's last three victories, dating back to last year are all via double-digit comebacks. The Rockets rallied from down 13 against St. John's in last year's WBIT second round, down 16 against Marshall on Nov. 4 and from down 14 on Sunday.
Mikonowicz moved into third all-time in Toledo's rebound charts, now totaling for her career and passing former Rocket great Kim Sekulski for third all-time.

UP NEXT
Toledo will finish its two-game homestand on Friday, Nov. 22 when it takes on Long Beach State. Tip-off will be at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.