The Toledo women’s basketball team defeated Akron 75-54 at Savage Arena on Feb. 15, extending their winning streak to six. The victory marked the program’s eighteenth annual Rockets for the Cure game in front of a crowd of 5,227 fans.
Toledo wore pink jerseys, which are available for auction at https://qtego.us/qlink/rocketsforthecure through Feb. 17 at noon. All proceeds from the auction will benefit Susan G. Komen Northwest Ohio and the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center. Since 2010, Rockets for the Cure has raised over $180,000 for the cause.
In celebration of 50 years of the program, the Rockets honored the women’s basketball alumni with recognition at halftime. Additionally, former Rocket Sophia Wiard was recognized for her achievement as the MAC Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 season, becoming the seventh Rocket to earn this honor.
“It’s good to see familiar faces in the stands,” said graduate student Sammi Mikonowicz. “Especially playing with her [Wiard] for so long. But I think it is great to have all the alumni back. They laid the foundation, and now for us to carry that means everything.”
Four Rockets scored in the double digits, led by graduate students Mikonowicz and Khera Goss, each scoring 16 points. Graduate Student Nan Garcia scored 13 points, while sophomore Kendall Carruthers added 10. Sophomore Cadence Dykstra and freshman Destiny Robinson had four assists each.
Defensively, Carruthers and freshman Faith Fedd-Robinson led the Rockets with six rebounds each, joined by Mikonowicz and freshman Evalyse Cole with five each. Goss, Mikonowicz, and Carruthers each had two steals—part of 17 turnovers for Akron.
The Zips (9-16, 3-9 MAC) took an early 6-0 lead at 6:05 left in the first quarter. The Rockets (18-5, 9-3 MAC) pulled ahead 21-18 after a 9-2 run with 5:55 left in the half. The teams went back-and-forth, heading into the locker room tied at 27 points.
With 7:14 left in the third quarter, the Rockets took the lead for good after Carruthers’ layup. The Rockets out-scored the Zips 28-18 in the third quarter and 20-9 in the fourth. Toledo shot 61.6% (16-of-26) from the field in the second half, while shooting 83.3% (5-of-6) from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight," said Head Coach Ginny Boggess. “Akron is a really well-coached team. I'm really proud of our effort in the second half and our response. We knew they were going to make it hard, and they definitely did.”
Toledo will face MAC leader Ball State at Savage Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
