TOLEDO, Ohio - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team became the first Mid-American Conference team to outrebound the Toledo Rockets Wednesday night, but could not overcome 21 turnovers in a 70-49 loss at Savage Arena.

Toledo (8-7, 3-2 MAC) turned those 21 turnovers into 26 points, shooting 52.9 percent from the field. The Huskies shot 40.0 percent from the field and was 9-for-12 from the free throw line. NIU held a plus-four advantage on the glass, 29-25.

NIU (3-13, 1-4 MAC) traded threes with the Rockets to start the game with Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John's) matching a Faith Fedd-Robinson triple in the first minute. Wingate then put in a layup at the 8:48 mark of the first to put NIU up 5-3 and added her second three of the game with 7:30 to go in the first to put NIU up 8-5. Toledo then scored the next six points as a Miraim Diala lay-in put the Rockets in front 11-8 with 2:54 to go in the quarter. The Toledo run grew to a 10-2 run as two Ella Weaver free throws made the score 15-10. Wingate got NIU within three, 15-12, with a layup with 1:26 left in the first, but a Weaver three at the horn gave the Rockets an 18-12 lead.

Nadechka Laccen (San Juan, Puerto Rico/St. Bonaventure) helped NIU keep pace in the second quarter, scoring NIU's first six points. Her jumper at the 6:38 mark made the score 24-18. Toledo used a 9-0 run, highlighted by six points from Fedd-Robinson, to take a 35-20 lead with 2:17 to go in the half. The Rockets shot 48.1 percent from the field in the first half to take a 35-22 lead.

NIU got as close as 12 in the third quarter and were within 13 early in the fourth. Wingate scored five points in the first minute of the final quarter, including her third three-pointer of the game, to make the score 47-34. Toledo pulled away from there, going on a 17-0 run over 5:48 to go up 64-34.

Wingate led NIU with 15 points, her fifth straight game in double-figure scoring. She also had a game-high eight rebounds. Laccen added nine points and four rebounds.

Toledo's Patricia Anumgba led all scorers with 24 points and had five steals.

The Huskies are back on the road on Saturday, Jan. 17 to take on the Ohio Bobcats. Tip-off is at 12 p.m. CT.

—NIU—