TOLEDO, OH - Junior guard Tyrone Kent saved Toledo from a potentially devastating defeat tonight with a layup with three seconds left to give the Rockets (3-9) a 71-69 victory over Oakland (6-7) at Savage Hall. Kent led the Rockets' attack with 22 points despite being plagued by foul trouble in the second half, while sophomore guard Jonathan Jones led the visitors with a game-high 29 points.

UT held 52-35 advantage with 9:44 to play, but the Golden Grizzlies whittled away their 17-point deficit to tie the game at 67-67 with 1:02 to play. Kent quickly put Toledo back in front with a lay-in with 42 ticks left before Jones answered back seven seconds later with a jumper to set the stage for Kent's heroics. After Kent's basket, junior guard Jonathan Amos stole Oakland's long in-bounds pass to secure the victory.

Junior guard Ridley Johnson also was in double figures for the Rockets with 14 points, while senior forward Jerrah Young tallied his second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

UT began the game on fire hitting its first four shots for a 9-0 run to jump out in front of the Grizzlies. OU went to a zone defense to slow down the Rockets and held Toledo scoreless over a four-minute span to get within five, 16-11. The Rockets answered back with three 3-pointers and an 11-0 run to extend their lead to 27-13, but the Grizzlies answered with a 12-2 run of their own to climb back within 29-25 with 5:35 left in the first half.

Toledo then outscored the Golden Grizzlies 14-3 over the final five minutes of the opening stanza to take a 43-28 lead to the locker room. The second half started cold for both teams as both teams managed a combined 11 points through the first 10 minutes.

A key juncture in the contest was when Kent picked up his fourth foul with 10:49 to play. UT managed to stay comfortably ahead and held a double-digit lead at 63-52 after Young hit a pair of free throws with 4:29 remaining. With 3:50 left, OU junior Erik Kangas connected on a trey to bring OU within five, 65-60.  The Rockets continued to have trouble bring the ball up the floor and committed four of its 16 second-half turnovers in the final four minutes.

The Rockets will now take a week off before opening Mid-American Conference play on Sunday, Jan. 6 vs. Ball State. Tip-off time in Savage Hall is 2:00 p.m.