Wednesday's state hoops: Toledo soars past EMU in MAC opener, 64-48

Eastern Michigan opened up conference play on Wednesday visiting Toledo, but were unable to steal one for the road, losing its first Mid-American Conference matchup of the year, 64-48.

The Rockets (9-3, 3-0 MAC) got off to a slow start and trailed the Eagles (3-5, 0-1 MAC), 18-15 at the end of the first quarter, but finished the first half on a 16-2 surge to take a 33-24 lead into the half.

Toledo didn't take their foot off the gas and finished the game on a 49-30 overall run and hit five of their last six shots. Quinesha Lockett scored a game-high 23 points, while Hannah Noveroske added 14 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. 

The Rockets took care of business at the free-throw line, making 13-of-14 shots. They also forced 17 EMU turnovers that turned into 22 points on offense. 

Danielle Rainey led the way for the Eagles with 16 points, with Areanna Combs chipping in 13 points and four assists.

More women's basketball

Western Michigan 58, (at) Central Michigan 44: Western Michigan defeated Central Michigan 58-44 on the road Wednesday. 

Lauren Ross scored 25 points for the Broncos (8-3, 2-0 MAC) on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. Ross also added a career-high 12 rebounds for the first double-double of her collegiate career and had four steals.

Jahari Smith led the way for the Chippewas (3-9, 1-2 MAC) and finished with 10 points and 23 rebounds, while Molly Davis added 13 points and six assists. 

Both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm in the first quarter, with CMU taking a 11-8 lead.

The Chippewas were working on building a lead with a 7-0 run in the middle of the second quarter but Ross and the Broncos put a stop to that, going on a 15-0 run to go into the half up 29-22. 

Neither side could gain an advantage in the third quarter as WMU built the lead up to 11 points but CMU trimmed it back down to seven. WMU pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to holding the Chippewas scoreless for a six-minute stretch.