The University of Toledo women's basketball team got a lift from its veterans as it held serve for a 69-60 home win over Kent State on Saturday afternoon at Savage Arena.
Junior Nakiah Black led the way for Toledo (10-9, 5-3 MAC) with 22 points, senior Mariella Santucci scored 20, and graduate transfer Arianne Whitaker had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
It was the first time Toledo had two 20-point scorers in the same game since Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and Kaayla McIntyre did so in February, 2018.
“I loved our effort and our focus today,” Toledo coach Tricia Cullop said. “I think in games past we've had good minutes and then we labored in the fourth quarter. I thought today we stayed really focused and did what we needed to do.
“We made our free throws and executed offensively better than we have been doing and we got stops – all those little things you need to do to win. I'm really proud of this group, and that's a really good team.
“ I thought our kids played exceptionally well when we needed to to get the victory.”
On a relatively young team, the Rockets leaned on their more experienced players as they picked up a key MAC win before going on a two-game road swing next week.
Black and Santucci came up big all game, but specifically at the end of quarters as Black beat the buzzer with 3-pointers in the first and third quarters, and Santucci finished a driving layup just before the halftime horn.
“I feel like it's always big because it gets me going,” Black said of the end-of-quarter heroics. “It gets my mojo going, it gets my team's mojo going, and everybody is hyped and the crowd is hyped.
“It's just like a snowball of energy.”
Nila Blackford paced Kent State (11-8, 4-4) with 14 points, Katie Shumate scored 13, and Megan Carter had 12 points.
Toledo held Kent State to 39.3 percent from the field, and held a huge advantage at the free-throw line. The Rockets lived at the foul line, going 26-of-32 while allowing just seven attempts at the line for Kent State.
The Rockets benefited from the physicality down low from Whitaker, who got her first double-double with Toledo.
“It was a physical game, especially down low, and I thought she kept her composure, but really fought,” Cullop said. “A lot of times three or four kids were going for the board and she would come up with it or draw a foul.
“I'm proud of the effort that she showed.”
Whitaker knows she is counted on for solid play in the post and creating second-chance opportunities for her team with offensive rebounds.
Five of her 12 rebounds came on the offensive end on Saturday, and the Rockets grabbed 13 offensive rebounds as a team.
“Those are huge because we get a second chance and get a whole new possession and another chance to score,” Whitaker said. “That's one more possession that we get to have.
“Offensive boards are really important because we are not going to make every basket. When you get that second chance, it gives us that edge that we need.”
The game featured 14 lead changes and three ties. The teams were tied at 17 after the first quarter, and Kent State held a 31-28 lead at halftime.
Toledo took over the lead in the third quarter, and extended its cushion to eight points at 50-42 when Black hit the second of her quarter-ending 3's.
The Rockets led by double-digits for most of the fourth quarter as they made 11-of-14 from the foul line in the quarter and made 4-of-7 shots from the field.
Toledo lost on Wednesday at home to Eastern Michigan and, before heading on the road for games at Miami and Buffalo this week, it was important for the Rockets to protect their home court with a win.
“It was tough that we let one slip through our fingers a couple nights ago,” Cullop said. “I thought this was one where we really needed to gut it out.
“This is kind of that divisive time in the league where there is kind of a logjam in the middle. Any separation we can get will help when we get the pairings later on. You have to try to take care of your home court. That's why that last one stung so bad, and that's also why this one felt so good.”
First Published February 1, 2020, 10:56 p.m.
