TOLEDO, Ohio – Powered by 23 points and eight rebounds from Sammi Mikonowicz, the Toledo women's basketball team gave MAC leader Ball State its first conference loss of the season in a thrilling 70-66 victory at Savage Arena Wednesday night.
 
The Rockets (19-5, 10-3 MAC) battled back-and-forth in the first half, before taking as much as a nine-point lead in the third quarter. Toledo then re-took the lead in the fourth and held it the rest of the way, stopping a potential tying possession from the Cardinals (20-6, 12-1 MAC) in the final minute, avenging a 77-63 loss at Ball State on Jan. 20.
 
Toledo extended its season-long winning streak to seven games and improved to 11-1 at home with the victory.
 
Quoting Head Coach Ginny Boggess
"Being a part of that basketball game was incredibly fun. We knew Ball State was going to give us their absolute best, and that's because they respect us. With the history between these two programs, we wouldn't expect anything less than a dogfight. It took a full 40 minutes which I knew was needed. Cadence Dykstra was an unsung hero for her performance against Ally Becki and her play on both ends."
 
Top Rocket Performers

• Sammi Mikonowicz – 23 PTS, 8 REB, 3 STL, 7-of-14 FG, 8-of-9 FT
  • Second-most points of Mikonowicz' career (27 at Navy, Nov. 30, 2024)
• Kendall Carruthers – 12 PTS, 6 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL
• Nan Garcia – 9 REB, 7 PTS, 5-of-6 FT

Top Ball State Performer

• Alex Richard – 33 PTS, 15-of-23 FG, 6 REB

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ball State took a 9-2 lead at the first-quarter media timeout.
• The Rockets closed the gap and traded leads back-and-forth at the end of the quarter, with Ball State leading 15-14 after the first. Toledo scored on its last four offensive possessions of the period.
• No team led by more than four in the second quarter, with the Cardinals carrying a 30-28 lead into halftime. Sammi Mikonowicz had nine points in the second frame.
• With the game tied 34-34 in the third, the Rockets went on a 9-0 run over 2:10 for a 43-34 lead at the 4:46 mark. Evalyse Cole's corner three capped the run and marked Toledo's biggest lead of the game.
• Ball State then scored 14 of the quarter's final 19 points to tie things up at 48-48.
• A Jessica Cook layup and a Kendall Carruthers three quickly put Toledo up 53-48 to start the fourth quarter.
• The Rockets held the lead and pushed the advantage to as much as eight at 64-56 on Carruthers' free throws with 1:35 left.
• From there, Ball State scored five-straight points and had a possession to potentially tie the game, but Khera Goss' steal with 26.2 seconds left denied the opportunity. Toledo made its final six free throws to seal the game down the stretch.

Game Notes

• Toledo shot 23-of-27 (85.2%) from the free throw line, its most makes at the line this season.
• The Rockets' defense came up with 11 steals, Toledo's most in conference play.
• Ball State's leading scorer Ally Becki (16.8 ppg) was held to just seven points, which tied her season low, and committed a season-high seven turnovers.
• The Rockets were +6 on the glass (36-30) after a -3 rebound margin in the teams' first meeting.
• Mikonowicz reached 20 points for the fourth time this season.
• There were nine ties and 11 lead changes in Wednesday's back-and-forth bout.

UP NEXT
Toledo will make the short trip south to face Bowling Green in the second matchup of the Battle of I-75 this season on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Rockets and Falcons will tip of from the Stroh Center at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+, with radio on WCWA 1230 AM and The Varsity Network App.