• Basketball
  • Toledo Hoops Rockets Past the WMU Broncos to an Impressive 102-74 UT Win

Toledo Hoops Rockets Past the WMU Broncos to an Impressive 102-74 UT Win

Details
Basketball

Senior JT Shumate scored 23 points and junior Tyler Cochran added a season-high 20 points to lead the Toledo men's basketball team to a dominating 102-74 victory over Western Michigan on Friday evening in Savage Arena.

The victory was the Rockets' 12th in a row over the Broncos (4-11, 0-2 MAC) and improved their record to 10-5 overall and 1-1 in Mid-American Conference play.

"This was a great way to respond to our loss to Ball State," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "Our defensive intensity and togetherness were back to normal. It wasn't on Tuesday and that's on us and me. Having Tyler Cochran back on the court makes a huge difference for us. It's a good win because Western Michigan has been playing well and is extremely well-coached."
 
Senior Setric Millner Jr. and junior RayJ Dennis also finished in double digits with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Sophomore Ra'Heim Moss topped Toledo with eight rebounds and helped limit WMU's leading scoring Lamar Norman Jr. to 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Dennis paced the Rockets with five assists.
 
Toledo was efficient offensively, shooting 52.4 percent from the field, a season-high 54.2 percent from three-point range and 79.3 percent at the free-throw line. The Rockets' 13 three-point field goals were one shy of their season best vs. Oakland on Nov. 16.
 
UT also turned in a strong defensive outing, limiting the Broncos to a 38.7 shooting mark. The Rockets performed even better in the opening 20 minutes as WMU hit just 31.3 percent of its shots.

"Our attention to the scouting report was great tonight," Kowalczyk said. "We got back on defense and the job Ra'Heim Moss did on Lamar Norman was phenomenal, especially in the first half."
 
Toledo returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 10 against Kent State. Tipoff time from the M.A.C. Center is set for 7:00 p.m. with the streaming on ESPN+.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

  • Tyler Cochran made consecutive three-pointers to give the Rockets a 21-16 lead heading into the second media timeout.
  • Ra'Heim Moss capped a 9-0 Toledo run with a layup to put the Rockets in front, 27-16, with 8:17 left in the half. 
  • Toledo extended its lead to 38-19 with an 11-3 run with 3:52 remaining in the half. ?
  • The Rockets took a 42-23 into the locker room at halftime.
  • Cochran led the Rockets with 13 first-half points. 
  • Toledo held the Broncos to just 10-of-32 (31.3%) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

SECOND HALF

  • Toledo opened the half with a 10-2 run, capped off by a Cochran layup that made the score 52-25 at the 16:16 mark. 
  • The two teams exchanged buckets over the next five minutes, with WMU getting no closer than 22 points. 
  • Setric Millner Jr. scored eight consecutive points, including back-to-back three-pointers to push the Rockets' lead to 69-41 with 10:16 left to play. 
  • JT Shumate drilled consecutive three-pointers followed by a layup to extend Toledo's lead to 79-50 with 6:31 left in the game. 
  • Toledo extended its lead out to as many as 32 points before settling on a 102-74 final score.