TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team found itself in a back-and-forth battle all night with Mercyhurst, but pushed past the Lakers with a late fourth-quarter run in a 70-66 victory at Savage Arena on Friday night.
 
The Rockets (5-2) scored the final eight points of the evening, holding the Lakers (2-6) without a point over the final 4:05 of play and answering a late 13-2 Mercyhurst run that had given the Lakers a 66-62 lead.
 
Freshman Faith Fedd-Robinson led Toledo with a season-high 15 points, adding eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. She made three consecutive layups during Toledo's final scoring run, including what turned out to be the game-winning basket with 1:41 to play. Fedd-Robinson shot 7-for-11 (63.6%) on the night, while graduate student Khera Goss went 6-for-13 (46.2%) for 14 points.
 
"I'm really pleased with our toughness down the stretch tonight," said Head Coach Ginny Boggess. "We made some big plays and got the stops we needed. We have some things to clean up with ball screens, but anytime we can get a win, whether on the road or at home, I'm really happy."
 
Graduate student Sammi Mikonowicz came down with a season-high 12 rebounds to lead the game. She added nine points on 4-of-8 from the floor. Goss grabbed five rebounds including three on the offensive glass.
 
Mercyhurst hung close thanks to a 25-point effort from Bailey Kuhns on 10-for-18 shooting. Allyson Ross pitched in 19 from the Lakers on 7-of-10 from the field.

First Quarter – Mercyhurst 19, Toledo 12

• Mercyhurst hit three of its first four three-point attempts top jump out to an early 11-5 lead.
• A Sammi Mikonowicz triple cut the lead to 13-10 with 3:32 left in the quarter.
• Mercyhurst ended the quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 19-12 lead into the break.
• The Lakers shot 54.5% (6-of-11) from the floor in the first 10 minutes, while Toledo made just 5-of-13 (38.5%) shots.

Second Quarter – Toledo 34, Mercyhurst 28

• Toledo slowly clawed back in the second quarter, as Khera Goss scored five unanswered points to cut Mercyhurst's lead to 21-19 going into the media timeout at the 4:52 mark.
• A Mikonowicz jumper in the lane capped a 12-2 Toledo run that gave the Rockets a 26-23 lead.
• Goss made a jumper in the waning seconds to give Toledo a 34-28 halftime advantage.
• Toledo made 9-of-16 (56.3%) shots to out-score Mercyhurst 22-9 in the second quarter.
• Goss led Toledo with nine first-half points while Bailey Kuhns had 14 for the Lakers.

Third Quarter – Toledo 54, Mercyhurst 51

• Mercyhurst fought back and trailed by just three points, 44-41, but Goss' triple at the 3:39 mark capped a 10-5 Rocket run and extended Toledo's lead to 54-46.
• The Lakers would not quit, however, holding Toledo scoreless in the final 3:38 of the quarter and clawed back to 54-51 at the break.

Fourth Quarter – Toledo 70, Mercyhurst 66

• A pair of Nan Garcia free throws helped Toledo push its lead out to seven points but Mercyhurst countered with six straight to cut the lead to 60-59 with 6:56 left.
• Mercyhurst's Allyson Ross hit a three-pointer and back-to-back layups off Toledo turnovers to give the Lakers a 66-62 lead.
• Faith Fedd-Robinson countered with three-straight inside buckets to help Toledo regain the lead, 68-66, with 1:41 to play.
• Toledo clamped down and forced the Lakers to miss their last six shots to hold on for the 70-66 victory.

Game Notes

• Toledo won its 19th consecutive home games and marks one full calendar year of consecutive victories at Savage Arena. Toledo began the streak on Dec. 6, 2023 with a 69-46 victory over Michigan.
• Toledo won its third game this season in which it trailed in the fourth quarter (Marshall, Northern Kentucky).

UP NEXT
The Rockets head to the Cherokee Invitational for a two-game tournament in Cherokee, N.C. Toledo opens the tournament against Troy on Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. and will face either Arkansas or Liberty on Dec. 19. The Cherokee Invitational will air on Stadium Network.