Junior RayJ Dennis tallied a career-high 22 points, a team-best eight rebounds and a career-high tying eight assists, and sophomore Ryan Rollins also scored 22 points to lead Toledo to a 100-72 triumph at Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon. The 28-point victory keeps the Rockets (20-5, 12-2 MAC) in a first-place tie in the Mid-American Conference with Ohio (21-4, 12-2 MAC).
"We were able to get some separation in the first half and that was a big key for us," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "When we get some stops and score in transition we can be really good. We just need to remain humble, hungry and healthy and keep getting better."
Toledo's victory over the Huskies also gave the Rockets their fourth 20-win season in the last five years.
"Twenty wins is not our goal but it's still a benchmark in college basketball," Kowalczyk said. "It's an expectation for our program, and to do it consistently is difficult. I don't think people realize how hard to do it on a consistent basis."
Junior forwards JT Shumate and Setric Millner Jr. also enjoyed strong outings for the Rockets and finished with 20 and 17 points, respectively. The duo also grabbed seven boards to help the Rockets dominate the boards by a 44-20 margin.
Dennis was extremely efficient, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe, and committing zero turnovers in 33 minutes.
"RayJ's pace of play was outstanding, and it was great to see him do it near his hometown," Kowalczyk said about the Plainfield, Ill. native who was playing in front of numerous family members and friends.
Toledo shot a scorching 64.5 percent in the opening 20 minutes and finished with a 56.3 shooting mark. The Rockets also hit 6-of-14 three-point attempts and were 22-of-26 from the free-throw line.
Toledo returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 15 when it hosts a red-hot Kent State squad that has won six straight games. Tip-off time in Savage Arena is set for 6:00 p.m. the CBS Sports Network.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- JT Shumate buried three triples early to give the Rockets a 14-10 lead less than five minutes into the game.
- Toledo gained control when it went on a 15-0 run to take a 34-20 lead with 7:16 left in the first half.
- Ryan Rollins contributed six points in the game-deciding spurt with Shumate, RayJ Dennis, Setric Millner Jr. and Ra'Heim Moss also scoring.
- The Huskies rallied within eight later in the half but four straight points from Dennis and Shumate's two free throws put Toledo back in front, 46-32, less than two minutes before halftime.
- A Dennis triple and a Moss layup in the final 30 seconds gave the Rockets a 53-35 halftime advantage.
SECOND HALF
- The Huskies cut Toledo's lead to 14 three minutes into the second half but Rollins' three-point play ignited a 9-0 spurt to put the Rockets up 64-41 with 15:03 to play.
- The Rockets' lead didn't dip below 18 points the rest of the way.
- Mihai Carcoana's two free throws gave Toledo its largest cushion, 98-67, with 2:04 remaining.
