Men's Basketball To Battle Oakland Saturday Night
12/13/2000 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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Dec. 13, 2000
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (5-1) looks to return to its winning ways Saturday evening at Savage Hall in its non-conference matchup vs. Oakland University (3-6).
The Rockets defeated the Golden Grizzlies twice last year -- a 74-65 victory at the Hawaii Pacific Tournament and a 90-76 triumph at Oakland.
UT is looking to rebound from its lone loss of the 2000-01 campaign, an 84-67 setback at St. Bonaventure (6-1) last Friday. The contest was the Rockets' first game played on an opponent's homecourt this year.
The Rockets committed a season-high 21 turnovers in that contest, including 14 in the first half.
Senior Greg Stempin led the Rockets' attack with 16 points, while Cullars and freshman Terry Reynolds chipped in with 13 apiece.
Stempin leads the Rockets in both scoring (19.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg), while Reynolds is first in assists (5.8 apg) and second in points (17.3 ppg).
The Golden Grizzlies utilize a prolific three-point attack, averaging nearly 22 three-point attempts per game. Juniors guards Brad Buddenborg (15.8 ppg) and Jason Rozycki (14.9 ppg) lead Oakland in scoring, while freshman forward Kelly Williams (5.1 rpg) is the team's top rebounder. Stempin Aiming for MAC Player of the Year Honors
Senior forward Greg Stempin is shooting to become the Rockets' first MAC Player of the Year since Harvey Knuckles in 1981. He also is looking to become the fourth Rocket ever to earn first-team All-MAC honors on three occasions.
The other UT players to receive All-MAC accolades three times are Tom Kozelko (1971-73), Steve Mix (1967-69) and Phil Martin (1952-54).
The Stempin Watch
Senior Greg Stempin moved up one spot on the Rockets' all-time scoring chart following his 16-point effort vs. St. Bonaventure. The Rocket captain had registered four straight 20-point outings for the first time in his career prior to the contest against the Bonnies.
Stempin now is in 18th place on UT's scoring list and needs 24 points to pass Phil Martin for 17th place.
Here's who Stempin will be looking to pass next:
1. Ken Epperson (1981-85) 2,016
2. Craig Thames (1992-96) 1,964
3. Steve Mix (1966-69) 1,676
16. Dick Miller (1976-80) 1,266
17. Phil Martin (1951-54) 1,240
18. Greg Stempin (1997-pres.) 1,217
19. Tim Reiser (1980-84) 1,216
20. Chuck Chuckovits (1936-39) 1,189
Reynolds Continues to Sparkle
Terry Reynolds continues to impress early in his first freshman campaign.
Reynolds is averaging 17.7 points per game to rank second on the team and leads the team in assists per game (5.8) and free-throw percentage (.775).
He has scored in double figures in five of his six contests.
In UT's 84-78 win over George Mason on Dec. 2, he scored 19 points, equalled his career high with seven assists and snatched away a career-high three steals.
In UT's season-opening weekend, the 5-9 guard earned all-tournament team honors at the Energia Systems Thanksgiving Tournament in Kansas City. Against Southeast Missouri State in UT's season opener he registered a game-high 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals. To top it off, he sank all eight of his free throws and did not commit a turnover.
Then he turned it up another notch with 36 points and seven assists against Auburn in the semifinals. Reynolds took the game over with the Rockets trailing 64-61 with 6:20 to play. He scored 10 straight points and then dished off to Greg Stempin for what looked like the game-winning three-pointer with 17 seconds to play. After Auburn tied it at the end of regulation, he scored 13 of the Rockets' 21 points during the two overtimes and came up with a key steal late in the second overtime with UT holding a one-point lead.
In the championship game against Creighton, he recorded 10 points and five assists and sealed the victory by scoring UT's final five points.
Moore on Fire from Three-Point Range
Sophomore Nick Moore ranks first in the Mid-American Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.560) and is second in three-pointers made per game (2.3). Moore has sank at least one three-pointer in five straight games and is shooting 60.9 percent from beyond the arc during that stretch.
The Rockets' 6-1 guard nailed all six of his three-point attempts against George Mason on Saturday, Dec. 2 to equal a school record set by Fred King at Kent State on Jan. 23, 1988.
Moore's 20 points against the Patriots were a personal career high and his six three-pointers in the game equalled his career best.
More Three-Point News
* As a team, UT ranks second in three-point field goals made per game (7.5) and third in the MAC in three-point FG% (41.7 percent). UT is also third in three-point FG% defense (27.4 percent).
*In addition to Nick Moore, Robierre Cullars (43.8 percent, 7-for-16), Terry Reynolds (38.2 percent, 13-for-34) and senior Greg Stempin (35.7 percent, 10-for-28) are UT's other top shooting threats from three-point range.
* The Rockets are shooting 41.7 percent from the three-point arc compared to 27.4 percent for their opponents.
* UT sank its first nine three-point attempts against George Mason on Saturday, Dec. 2 en route to a 10-for-12 first-half shooting performance from behind the arc.
* Since opening the season shooting 1-for-10 against SE Missouri State, UT is shooting 44.8 percent (44-for-98) from beyond the three-point arc.
Trips to the Line Becoming a Habit
With its strong inside game and the penetration of guard Terry Reynolds, the Rockets have made nine more free throws (101) than their opponents have attempted (92) this year.
UT averages 27.0 free-throw attempts per game compared to 15.3 for its opponents. Toledo has been whistled for 16.8 personal fouls per contest, while its opponents have committed 21.8.
Protecting the Homecourt
With its two home victories this year over Detroit and George Mason, UT has won eight straight home games. The Rockets hold a 45-12 (.789) record at Savage Hall under Stan Joplin, including a 34-8 (.810) mark since the start of the 1997-98 season.
Another Great Start
For the second time in the last three seasons, Stan Joplin guided the Rockets to a 5-0 start. In the 1998-99 campaign, UT won its first 10 games before losing at Akron (81-78). Included in that streak were home wins over Ohio State (64-63) and Xavier (74-67) and a road triumph over Dayton (56-55).
Taking on All Comers
Each of UT's five victories has come against a team from a different conference.
UT has defeated teams from the Colonial Athletic (George Mason), Midwestern Collegiate (Detroit), Missouri Valley (Creig-hton), Ohio Valley (SE Missouri State) and SEC (Auburn) with its lone loss coming against an Atlantic 10 school (St. Bonaventure).
Four of the Rockets' next five games will be against teams from four more conferences -- Oakland (Mid-Continent), Fresno State (WAC), UL-Lafayette (Sun Belt) or Samford (Trans America Athletic), and Cincinnati (Conference USA). UT's game against Xavier on Dec. 23 will give the Rockets a pair of games against the Atlantic 10.
Sanders, Shellabarger Expected to Redshirt
Head Coach Stan Joplin is redshirting both sophomore A.J. Shella-barger and freshman Robert Sanders this season.
"We're redshirting both A.J. and Robert," Joplin said. "That means we can only play nine players this year, but I think we should be able to do that if we can avoid injuries."
Shellabarger, a 6-9, 250-pound center averaged 8.2 minutes per game in 27 contests last year, totalling 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Sanders, 6-7, 185-pound forward, was an all-city selection in his final season at Toledo Scott H.S.
Rockets to Battle Cincinnati at Rock-N-Roll Shootout
The Rockets will take on No. 18 Cincinnati at the Rock `n' Roll Shootout at Gund Arena in Cleveland as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, Dec. 30. The Toledo-Cincinnati contest will be followed by a matchup between Kent State and Xavier.
Tickets for the event, which are good for both games, can be purchased from UT's ticket office for either $28.00 or $20.00. These prices are only available by going to the UT's ticket office or calling (419) 530-GOLD. Regular prices for the tickets are $40.00 and $28.00.
Rockets to Make Four TV Appearances During Regular Season
Four Rocket basketball games will be televised in the upcoming 2000-01 campaign, and three more television appearances will also be possible in the 2001 MAC Tournament, including an appearance on ESPN2 in the MAC Championship Game.
Two Rocket contests will be televised on ESPN Plus, the first being UT's appearance vs. perennial power Cincinnati in the Rock-N-Roll Shootout at Cleveland's Gund Arena on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 6:00 p.m. Toledo's game vs. Kent State at Savage Hall on Saturday, Feb. 3 will also be shown. As a result, the starting time for that contest has been changed from 7:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Local coverage for both games has yet to be determined.
A pair of UT's road games will be televised on the Fox Regional Sports Network -- Monday, Jan. 29 at MAC East preseason favorite Marshall and Monday, Feb. 26 at arch-rival Bowling Green. The contest against the Falcons has been changed from its original 7:00 p.m. start time to 8:00 p.m.
Rockets' Schedule Packed With NCAA Tournament Teams
The Rockets have posted a 3-1 win-loss mark this year vs. 2000 NCAA Tournament teams. UT defeated Southeast Missouri State, Auburn and Creighton at the Energia Systems Thanksgiving Tournament in Kansas City on Nov. 24-26 before losing to St. Bonaventure last Friday.
In the Rockets' trip to Fresno State's Trend Homes Classic, all three opposing teams in the field (Fresno State, UL-Lafayette and Samford) appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament.
UT will also take on Cincinnati at the Rock-N-Roll Shootout at Cleveland's Gund Arena on Dec. 30 in addition to its MAC West Division rival Ball State.
Up Next ... Trend Homes Classic
UT will be leaving Sunday afternoon for Fresno, CA to compete in the Trend Homes Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 19-20.
The Rockets will take on the host Bulldogs on Tuesday at 8:00 PDT and face either Louisiana-Lafayette or Samford on Wednesday.
Fresno State (4-2) plays two games this week. The Bulldogs travel to Santa Clara on Wednesday before hosting Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. FSU and UT both have lost to St. Bonaventure this season.
Samford (2-4) is in action for just one game this week. The Bulldogs will take on Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon.
UL-Lafayette (2-2) played its last game on Dec. 4, a 93-86 loss to Auburn, and will not return to action until facing Samford in Fresno next Tuesday.
