Toledo (18-14) will travel to Big Ten member Michigan State (18-13) Monday, March 19, for the second round of the Postseason WNIT in the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
The opening tip is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on BTNPlus.
The winner of the matchup will take on the winner of Summit League participant South Dakota (27-6) and Mountain West Conference member Colorado State (21-11) in the third round later this week. Sites and times for the Sweet 16 will be released following the game.
UT advanced to the second round of the tourney for the sixth consecutive time with a convincing 64-50 victory over Horizon League member Wright State Friday at home.
Senior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott paced the Midnight Blue and Gold with a game-high 18 points, followed by junior Kaayla McIntyre with 14 points, a game-high 11 caroms, and a contest-best three rejections to post her eighth double-double this year.
Freshman Tatyana Davis also contributed a season-high 10 points off the bench, while sophomore Mariella Santucci had seven points, a season-best eight helpers, and two thefts to help UT snap a four-game losing skid.
Toledo was efficient offensively against the Raiders and recorded 18 assists on 23 field goals and also finished with a 48-40 edge on the glass.
As efficient as the Rockets were offensively, their defense was outstanding. UT limited WSU to 26.5 percent (18 of 68) from the field, including an even better 23.1 percent (3 of 13) from three-point land.
Toledo restricted Horizon League Player of the Year Chelsea Welch to a season-low three points in 29 minutes. Welch came into the post-season game averaging a league-best 21.2 points. Her previous season low was 13 points on four occasions.
McIntyre, Bravo-Harriott and junior Mikaela Boyd continue to lead Toledo offensively, scoring 16.0, 12.9 and 12.2 points per game, respectively.
Michigan State qualified for the second-round contest by virtue of an 81-76 victory over America Athletic Conference member Cincinnati at home Thursday. Taryn McCutcheon led four Spartans in double figures with 19 points and a game-high nine helpers, followed closely by Taya Reimer and Jenna Allen with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
MSU, which is 10-5 at home, features a balanced offense with six players averaging at least 8.9 points per game, paced by Shay Colley’s 11.6.
Toledo and Michigan State will meet for the seventh overall time and first since the 2003-04 campaign.
The Spartans secured a 72-49 road triumph over the Rockets in the most recent matchup Dec. 13, 2003, to snap a three-game losing streak in the series.
UT leads the all-time series against MSU, 4-2. The Rockets also hold a 2-1 edge in games played in the Breslin Center, most recently claiming a 58-55 triumph Nov. 26, 2002.
