Cold First-Half Shooting Dooms Rockets in 85-61 Loss at Kent State

Saturday, January 21

Kent, OH

7:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

10-9, 3-3MAC

Kent State

10-9, 2-4MAC

Toledo

Kent State

Senior Steve Taylor Jr. led Toledo with 16 points and nine rebounds in its 85-61 loss at Kent State.

Cold First-Half Shooting Dooms Rockets in 85-61 Loss at Kent State

1/21/2017 10:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

KENT, OH – Kent State broke open a tight game with a 13-2 run in the latter stages of the first half en route to an 85-61 Mid-American Conference victory over Toledo on Saturday evening at the M.A.C. Center. The defeat dropped the Rockets' record to 10-9 overall and 3-3 in league play, while KSU improved to 10-9 overall and 2-4 in conference action.

Senior forward Steve Taylor Jr. paced Toledo with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Jonathan Williams and sophomore forward Nate Navigato also scored in double digits for the Midnight Blue and Gold with 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Senior forward Jimmy Hall topped the Golden Flashes' attack with a game-high 27 points with senior guard Deon Edwin contributing 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

The Golden Flashes shot 57.6 percent from the field in the contest and limited the Rockets to a 36.7 shooting mark, including a season-low 29.2 FG% in the first half. KSU also held a decisive 35-23 advantage in the rebounding department thanks to six different players collecting four or more boards

The lead changed hands six times in the game's first 10 minutes before Kent State held the Rockets without a field goal and forced five turnovers during its game-changing run that spanned seven-and-a-half minutes.

The Golden Flashes extended their 38-24 halftime advantage even further by connecting on nine of their first 10 shots in the second half for a 60-37 cushion with 12:09 remaining.

Toledo returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 24 when it travels to Athens, OH to meet Ohio University at 7:00 p.m. The Bobcats (12-5, 4-2 MAC) registered a 78-69 road win over Northern Illinois this afternoon.

Coach Kowalczyk's Post-Game Comments vs. Kent State

Steve Taylor Jr.'s Post-Game Comments vs. Kent State