University of Toledo senior guard Mikaela Boyd has been filling up stat sheets her entire career.
As her time with Toledo approaches its final phase, Boyd turned in a vintage performance in Toledo’s 73-63 win Wednesday against Western Michigan at Savage Arena.
With her team battling foul trouble and turnover issues in the first half, Boyd carried the Rockets by scoring 13 of her team-high 22 points. She grabbed six rebounds in the opening 20 minutes, including three on the offensive end.
“We are coming down to our last couple of home games, and I just wanted to come out and give it my best,” Boyd said. “Our defense was really good in the first half and we were able to turn that into good offense.”
When the night was done, Boyd was 9-of-12 from the field and added six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
“I am very proud of Mikaela Boyd,” Toledo coach Tricia Cullop said. “Her effort offensively tonight was fantastic. They were really sending a lot of attention to Kaayla [McIntyre] and making sure she didn’t have a lot of real estate to work. I thought Mikaela Boyd took advantage of the fact that they weren’t paying attention to her. She had great cuts, great finishes, and great pull-up jumpers. I’m just really proud of a senior that wants to make sure we finish on a high note.”
VIDEO: Guard Mikaela Boyd and coach Tricia Cullop discuss Toledo’s win over Western Michigan
Cullop has come to expect nights like these from Boyd, her humble star, but it doesn’t make her appreciate them any less.
“She’s a fantastic leader and is very humble too,” Cullop said. “If she had 22 and we lost, she would easily say she would let somebody else have 22 as long as we win. She’s just that kind of player. She’s not someone that is going to say a lot, but her actions speak volumes. When she does speak up, our entire team listens because she is a very smart kid that really understands the game but is a team-first player.”
Kaayla McIntyre complemented Boyd’s scoring with 14 points of her own, Sara Rokkanen scored 13 points off the bench, and Mariella Santucci approached triple-double territory with nine points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Nakiah Black, who has become a reliable scoring threat for Toledo (17-9, 9-6 Mid-American Conference), battled foul trouble all game and scored just four points.
Rokkanen and Tatyana Davis provided Toledo with a spark off the bench as the Rockets topped Western Michigan 19-3 in bench points.
“I thought Rokkanen hit some big shots for us, and I thought she did the same thing at Ball State,” Cullop said. “Tatyana Davis gave us great minutes tonight because Nakiah Black was in foul trouble for most of the first half. They picked up those minutes and ran with them and we didn’t lose a lot when Nakiah was on the bench.”
Deja Wimby had a game-high 24 points for the Broncos (9-17, 3-12). Kamrin Reed added 14 points and Leighah-Amori Wool had 10.
Toledo led by just one point at halftime but used a key 9-0 run in the third quarter to gain some separation.
“We’re a defensive-minded team, so we were able to lock in and cause them to turn the ball over a few times,” Boyd said. “Once we get in transition, that’s easy points.”
VIDEO: Toledo 73, Western Michigan 63
Toledo started the fourth quarter strong and made 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to hold its lead.
The Rockets are bunched up near the middle of the pack in the MAC standings as they are tied with Kent State and Northern Illinois after all three teams won on this night.
Toledo has lost head-to-head matchups against both teams this season but gets another shot at Northern Illinois on Saturday at Savage Arena.
Cullop said she doesn't shy away from talking about the standings with her team.
“I think the biggest thing is trying to separate us from the middle of that tie,” Cullop said. “We have a leaderboard in our locker room and we do talk about it. I don’t dwell on it, but I did want to give them kind of a state of the union before the game, because I would hate for them to not realize the importance and value of the outcome of this game. I think you do it one game at a time.”
First Published February 28, 2019, 2:08 a.m.
