The Toledo women's basketball team was in a back-and-forth battle with Mercyhurst all night, pushing past the Lakers in a 70-66 victory with a run late in the fourth quarter on Dec. 6 at Savage Arena.
The Rockets (5-2) scored the final points of the game, holding the Lakers (2-6) without a point for the last four minutes of play.
Mercyhurst started the match in the lead 7-13 when graduate student Sammi Mikonowicz scored a triple to cut the lead to 10-13 with 3:23 left in the quarter. Mercyhurst ended the quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 19-12 lead.
Toledo slowly came back in the second quarter as graduate student Khera Goss scored five straight points to cut Mercyhurst's lead to 21-19 with 6:25 left in the half. A Mikonowicz jumper in the paint ended a 12-2 run for the Rockets, giving them a 26-23 lead with 3:17 left in the half. Goss scored with four seconds left in the half to give Toledo a 34-28 lead heading into the locker room.
Mercyhurst fought back in the third quarter, holding Toledo scoreless in the final 3:38 of the quarter, cutting the Rockets lead to 54-51 at the break.
Graduate student Nan Garcia scored back-to-back free throws with 8:05 left in the game, pushing Toledo's lead to 60-53, but Mercyhurst responded with six straight points to cut the lead to 60-59 with 6:56 left. Freshman Faith Fedd-Robinson scored three consecutive layups to help the Rockets lead 68-66 with 1:41 left in play. Toledo forced the Lakers to miss their last six shots, securing the 70-66 victory.
Fedd-Robinson led Toledo with 15 points, adding five rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Goss scored 14 points and five rebounds. Mikonowicz had a season-high 12 rebounds while scoring nine points for the Rockets.
"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."
The Rockets head to the Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee, North Carolina for a two-game tournament. Toledo opens the tournament against Troy on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. and will face either Arkansas or Liberty on Dec. 19.
