Battle of I-75 Returns to Savage Arena as Toledo Hosts Bowling Green on Saturday

Saturday, February 3

Toledo, Ohio

2:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

Bowling Green

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Toledo hosts Bowling Green in the Battle of I-75 on Saturday afternoon.

Photo by: Bree Bee

Battle of I-75 Returns to Savage Arena as Toledo Hosts Bowling Green on Saturday

2/2/2024 2:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

Rockets and Falcons will tip off at 2:00 p.m.

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team hosts Bowling Green on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the first Battle of I-75 rivalry game of the year.

The Rockets (15-4, 8-1 MAC) and Falcons (11-8, 5-4 MAC) will face off again in a couple weeks at the Stroh Center on Feb. 17.

Toledo won two out of three meetings last year, matchups that included a come-from-behind 62-56 win to clinch an outright MAC Championship and a 73-58 victory in the MAC Tournament Championship Game.

After posting the first regular-season sellout in program history in December, Toledo is aiming to sell out Savage Arena once again for this iteration of its rivalry game. 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/BeatBG.

Toledo enters play in second place in the MAC standings, one game behind Ball State (19-2, 9-0 MAC). Kent State (13-6, 8-2 MAC) received a win-by-forfeit this weekend against Central Michigan, while BGSU (11-8, 5-4 MAC) and Buffalo (11-8, 5-4 MAC) round out the top five.

Last Time Out
Toledo is coming off an 88-66 win at Akron on Wednesday night. Quinesha Lockett's 21 points led the charge, but Jessica Cook (12 points), Hannah Noveroske (12 points), Nan Garcia (11 points), and Soleil Barnes (11 points) all joined their teammate in double-digits to lead the Rockets to their highest point total in MAC play this season.

Lockett made 10-of-15 shots from the floor to lead Toledo. Garcia scored UTs first eight points of the night and was 3-of-5 from three-point range, while Barnes knocked down 2-of-3 three-point attempts. Noveroske and Cook both helped Toledo secure a 42-32 advantage in points in the paint. Cook's 12 points constitute a season-high total.

Rocket Notes

Sammi Mikonowicz enters Saturday's game with 991 career points, putting her nine away from becoming the 33^rd 1,000-point scorer in program history. Teammates Quinesha Lockett and Sophia Wiard are already members of the 1,000 Point Club at Toledo.
Mikonowicz also recently cracked the Top 10 in school history in career rebounds. She ranks ninth with 807 and is two away from passing Jen Markwood (1996-2000) to move into eighth place. Mikonowicz is five rebounds away from moving into seventh place and passing Kaayla McIntyre (2015-19).
Hannah Noveroske and Jessica Cooke are shooting 66.7% and 55.0% from the floor, respectively, in MAC play. Noveroske has made 36-of-54 shots and Cook has made 22-of-40.
The Rockets are 35-4 at home since the beginning of the 2021-22 season and have won 18 straight MAC home games.
Since the start of 2021-22 season, Toledo is 43-4 in conference play. UT is 8-1 this year, was 16-2 a year ago, and 19-1 in 2021-22.
Toledo is the top free throw shooting team in the MAC, ranking first with a 75.3 FT%. Sophia Wiard is UT's top free throw shooter (89.9%) and is second in the MAC in free throw percentage.
Wiard is having the second-best three-point shooting season ever by a Rocket, having connected on 37-of-83 three-pointers. Courtney Risinger holds the single-season school record for three-point field goal percentage with a 45.0% mark in the 2001-02 season.
Wiard has been even better from three-point range in MAC play, shooting 57.5% (23-for-40) from beyond the arc.
Quinesha Lockett recently moved into second place all-time in career scoring at Toledo. Her 2,185 career points are seventh-most among active Division I players and are more than any other active MAC player.
Toledo leads the league in scoring defense (59.16) and ranks third in scoring offense (69.26).
The Rockets have done a good job of controlling the boards in MAC play and lead the league in rebounding margin (+9.63) in conference games.

About Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters play with an 11-8 overall record and a 5-4 MAC ledger, and they snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 72-54 win vs. Northern Illinois. Under first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, the Falcons rank fifth in the MAC in scoring offense (66.21) and have four active players averaging double figures in scoring. Morgan Sharps (14.0), Amy Velasco (13.8), Paige Kohler (10.5), and Erika Porter (10.1) are all averaging at least 10 PPG this year. Among qualified players, Porter leads the league in field goal percentage in MAC play, having made 64.9% of her shots against MAC opponents.

Next Up
Toledo's next game is Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Central Michigan. The Rockets return home on Saturday, Feb. 10 to host Louisiana-Monroe at Noon.