Men's Basketball Hosting Arch-Rival Falcons on Saturday Night
1/12/2001 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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Jan. 12, 2001
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (11-3, 3-0 MAC) looks to remain the MAC's lone unbeaten team when it takes on arch-rival Bowling Green tonight at Savage Hall.
The Rockets bring a four-game win streak into tonight's game in addition to a school-record 13-game MAC regular-season win streak dating back to last season.
The Rockets are also off to their first 3-0 start in MAC play since the 1979-80 campaign, the last year UT reached the NCAA Tournament.
Toledo rolled to its third straight MAC win on Wednesday, a 74-55 victory over Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center.
Senior guard Rory Jones came off the bench to lead the way for the Rockets with a career-high 16 points. It was the third straight game Jones registered a career best in points.
Senior forward Greg Stempin leads the Rockets in points (18.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.4 rpg), while freshman guard Terry Reynolds ranks second in points (15.4) and first in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.5 spg).
Bowling Green is led offensively by a pair of juniors, guard Keith McLeod (15.7 ppg) and center Len Matela (15.3 ppg). Junior Brandon Pardon runs the Falcon offense and leads the MAC in assists (7.3 apg) while ranking third on the team in points (13.4 ppg).
Stempin Aiming for MAC Player of the Year Honors
Senior All-America candidate 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).
Stempin ranks third in the MAC in scoring (17.5 ppg), fourth in FG% (.500) and eighth in rebounding (7.4 rpg). He was limited to seven points in UT's 74-55 win over EMU, however, the Rockets are 2-0 this year when Stempin does not score in double figures.
The Stempin Watch
Senior Greg Stempin is in ninth place on UT's all-time scoring list and is 10 points away from moving into seventh place.
Following is a list of the Rockets' all-time scoring leaders:
1. Ken Epperson (1981-85) 2,016
2. Craig Thames (1992-96) 1,964
3. Steve Mix (1966-69) 1,676
4. Tom Kozelko (1970-73) 1,561
5. Casey Shaw (1994-98) 1,502
6. Harvey Knuckles (1977-81) 1,488
7. Ted Williams (1974-78) 1,355
8. Larry Cole (1973-76) 1,352
9. Greg Stempin (1997-pres.) 1,346
10. Jim Swaney (1976-80) 1,328
Stempin Drawing Praises
Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles had this say about Greg Stempin following UT's win over the RedHawks on Jan. 6:
"He's (Stempin) a great player. I've seen him for four years now. He's the same as (Wally) Szczerbiak and (Dan) Majerle were. I recruited him so hard. We've had some success, but I feel the success we would of had with him would be ongoing. I just dreamed of him and Szczerbiak playing on the same floor. That would have been a delight. I told him that if you come to Miami, we'll be in the Final Four."
Reynolds Sparkling in Freshman Campaign
Terry Reynolds continues to impress in his freshman campaign and is a leading candidate for Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year.
Reynolds is averaging 15.4 points per game to rank second on the team. He leads the team in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.5 spg.). The 5-9 guard ranks third in the MAC in assists, is tied for sixth in steals and is 12th in points.
In MAC games, he is averaging 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in 11 of 14 overall contests this year.
He burst upon the college basketball scene in UT's season-opening weekend when he 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.
Reynolds then 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" Three Point News
Sophomore guard Nick Moore leads UT with a 48.6 (35 of 72) three-point FG% (2nd in MAC) and also is first in three-point field goals made with 2.5 per game (4th in MAC).
The 6-1 Detroit native has scored in double figures in seven straight games (12.6 ppg). In his last four games, Moore has connected on 15-of-27 attempts (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
Moore's best outing of the season came when he nailed all six of his three-point attempts against George Mason on Dec. 2 to equal a school record three-point FG% set by Fred King at Kent State on Jan. 23, 1988.
Moore's 20 points against the Patriots are a career high and his six three-pointers in the game equalled his career best.
Rocket Three-Point News
*The Rockets have four primary three-point shooting threats. In addition to the previously mentioned Nick Moore, Greg Stempin (37.1 percent, 26-for-70), Terry Reynolds (37.0 percent, 27-for-73), Robierre Cullars (35.6 percent, 16-for-45) are UT's other top shooting threats from three-point range.
* The Rockets are shooting 39.9 percent from beyond the three-point arc compared to 28.7 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.
* As a team, UT ranks first in the MAC in three-point field goals made per game (7.9) and three-point FG% (39.9 percent). UT is also second in three-point FG% defense (28.7 percent).
* In the last three games, the Rockets are shooting 49.2 percent (31-for-63) from three-point range.
Rory Jones Asserting Himself Off the Bench
Senior guard Rory Jones has been the Rockets' top contributor off the bench this season, averaging 6.4 points per game in 16.9 minutes of action. He has emerged offensively as of late, registering a career-high point total (12 vs. Miami, 14 @ WMU, 16 @ EMU) in each of his last three games.
Trips to the Line Becoming a Habit
With its strong inside game and the penetration of guard Terry Reynolds, the Rockets have made 18 more free throws (249) than their opponents have attempted (231) this year.
UT averages 27.9 free-throw attempts per game compared to 16.5 for its opponents. Toledo has been whistled for 17.1 personal fouls per contest, while its opponents have committed 23.1.
Rocket Defense Keying Success
UT has held all but one of its opponents to a 50 percent or under field goal percentage, including eight opponents under 43.1 percent. Fresno State is the only team to shoot over 50 percent, converting 58.3 percent of its attempts in an 88-72 victory.
Protecting the Homecourt
UT has won 10 of its last 11 home games. The Rockets hold a 47-13 (.783) record at Savage Hall under Stan Joplin, including a 36-9 (.800) mark since the start of the 1997-98 season.
In MAC games under Joplin, the Rockets have posted a 26-11 (.703) ledger at Savage Hall.
MAC Win Streak on the Line
UT will be looking to extend its school-record 13-game regular-season MAC win streak tonight. Included in that streak are six home wins and seven road wins, with the last loss coming to Eastern Michigan, 71-68, at Savage Hall on Jan. 22, 2000.
The streak surpasses the longest regular-season streak in school history, tying Bob Nichols' club which won 11 in a row over the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons. The MAC record for most consective wins is 16 by Miami established from Feb. 16, 1957 to Dec. 6, 1958.
Rocket Attendance Among Tops in the MAC
Toledo enjoyed its largest attendance (6,522) of the season in its MAC opener on Jan. 3 vs. Miami. The Rockets are averaging 5,363 fans this season, one of four MAC schools above the 5,000 mark. Ohio (5,481), Marshall (5,463) and Miami (5,111) are the other schools to topping that mark.
UT Snaps Bearcat Dominance at Rock-N-Roll Shootout
The Rockets ended Cincinnati's five-game winning streak in the seventh annual Gatorade Rock-N-Roll Shootout.
The Bearcats had appeared in each of the past five shootouts and posted wins over Temple (1995), Western Kentucky (1996), UMass (1997), Dayton (1998) and Gonzaga (1999).
The Rockets leads the all-time series vs. UC by a 15-7 margin.
Joplin Ranks Fifth on UT's All-Time Win List
Head Coach Stan Joplin is in fifth place on UT's all-time coaching win list. Joplin now has 76 wins during his five-year tenure at the Rocket helm. Following is a list of the top five career coaching win totals in Rocket history:
UT's All-Time Coaches' Win List
1. Bob Nichols (1965-87) 376
2. Harold Anderson (1934-42) 142
3. Jerry Bush (1947-54) 127
4. Eddie Melvin (1954-65) 125
5. Stan Joplin (1996-pres.) 76
Taking on All Comers
Each of UT's eight non-conference victories came against a team from a different conference. The Rockets faced schools from nine different conferences in their non-conference schedule.
UT defeated teams from the Colonial Athletic (George Mason), Conference USA (Cincinnati), Mid-Continent (Oakland), Midwestern Collegiate (Detroit), Missouri Valley (Creighton), Ohio Valley (SE Missouri State). SEC (Auburn) and Trans-America Athletic (Samford). The Rockets' three losses occurred against teams from the WAC (Fresno State) and Atlantic 10 (St. Bonaventure, Xavier).
Rockets to Make Five TV Appearances During Regular Season
Five Rocket basketball games will be televised in the 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.
The Rockets' contests vs. Xavier and Cincinnati have already been televised. Toledo's game vs. Kent State at Savage Hall on Saturday, Feb. 3 will be televised by ESPN Plus. As a result, the starting time for that contest has been changed from 7:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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. Both games have been changed from their original 7:00 p.m. start time to 8:00 p.m.
Rockets' Schedule Packed With NCAA Tournament Teams
The Rockets have posted a 5-2 win-loss mark this year vs. 2000 NCAA Tournament teams. UT has defeated Auburn, Cincinnati, Creighton, Samford and Southeast Missouri State, and lost to Fresno State and St. Bonaventure.
Up Next ... Ball State
UT hosts MAC West Division rival Ball State (6-5, 1-1 MAC) at Savage Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Rockets will be looking to avenge their 64-63 (OT) setback to the Cardinals in the MAC Quarterfinals at Gund Arena last year.
