PHILADELPHIA, PA - Early foul trouble led to a second straight slow start and Toledo (0-6) could never recover as the Rockets dropped an 82-49 decision to Vermont (3-4) in its final game of the three-day Legends Classic.
"Playing three straight days was a grind for our guys, and this weekend was a good lesson for us," said Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross about playing three games in three days. "We're experiencing a lot of the things for the first time right now, and a tournament like this is one of them. We have to develop a mental toughness to play this type of format, because that's what we'll have to do in our conference tournament."
The Rockets' freshman tandem of F Jordan Dressler and G Jake Barnett led UT offensively for a second straight contest with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Dressler also added a team-high six rebounds.
"It was good to see Jordan and Jake enjoy some success today and continue in their growth process," Cross said. "They're both a big part of our future. It's tough to lose, but if we continue to work hard and stay the course we'll start experiencing success."
Senior G Maurice Joseph paced the Catamount attack with 21 points with senior F Marqus Blakely contributing 15 points, seven assists and five boards.
Vermont shot 50.8 percent for the contest, including a 56.7 mark in the first half. UT converted 37.3 percent of its field-goal attempts and was also outrebounded by a 39-34 margin.
Toledo took a quick 4-2 lead on baskets from Barnett and Dressler, but Dressler was then whistled for two quick fouls less than two minutes into the game and was forced to take a seat on the bench. The Catamounts took advantage by pounding the ball inside for a dunk and two layups on their next three possessions and an 8-4 lead.
"Jordan has started to become our best low-post threat and taking away a big piece to our puzzle hurt our continuity," Cross said. "He just has to learn to play without fouling."
Joseph continued the spurt by drilling one of his five treys to put the Rockets down, 11-4. Sophomore C Ian Salter briefly stopped UVM's run with a bucket but Joseph and junior G Joey Accaoui connected on back-to-back treys for a double-digit advantage. The closest Toledo was able to come the rest of the half was nine points as the Catamounts took a 41-23 lead at intermission.
In addition to Dressler's foul trouble, junior F Mouhamed Lo also was whistled for two early fouls. They both then were forced to play later in the half and ended up committing a third foul in the opening stanza.
UT will now look to take advantage of some home cooking when it begins a four-game homestand on Wednesday, Dec. 2 against Rochester College. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m.
