Toledo Dominates in MAC Opener En Route to 86-54 Win Over Buffalo

Tuesday, January 3

Toledo, OH

6:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

8-6 (1-0MAC)

Buffalo

6-8 (0-1MAC)

Buffalo

TOLEDO

Senior guard Jonathan Williams tallied 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Toledo's 86-54 win over Buffalo.

Toledo Dominates in MAC Opener En Route to 86-54 Win Over Buffalo

1/3/2017 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)Post-Game Notes vs. Buffalo

TOLEDO, OH – Toledo rolled to a convincing 86-54 triumph over Buffalo on Tuesday evening in Savage Arena in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. The 32-point win was UT's largest margin of victory ever in a league opener and gave the Rockets a season-high four-game winning streak.

Senior guard Jonathan Williams paced the Rocket attack with 26 points for his seventh-straight 20-point outing. Joining the MAC's second-leading scorer in double figures was sophomore guard Jaelan Sanford (22 pts.) and redshirt freshman center Luke Knapke (13 pts.).

Senior forward Steve Taylor Jr. topped the Midnight Blue and Gold with 15 rebounds and a career-high seven assists to go along with nine points in 31 minutes. Senior guard Jordan Lauf also registered double digits on the boards with 11 rebounds in addition to scoring eight points and dishing out three assists.

Taylor and Lauf helped the Rockets dominate the glass by a 49-33 margin. Toledo also dished out a season-high 23 assists and committed just 11 turnovers.

Buffalo was led in scoring by freshman forward Quate McKinzie (12 pts.) and senior forward David Kadiri (10 pts.). UT limited the Bulls' leading scorer, Blake Hamilton, to nine points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field.

The Rockets shot 51.7 percent from the field, including a season-best 61.3 mark in the first half, and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from three-point range. The Bulls notched just a 31.3 field-goal percentage for the lowest shooting mark for a UT opponent this season.

Toledo never trailed in the contest and took its first double-digit lead, 20-10, following a Sanford trey with 11:18 remaining in the first half. A 9-0 spurt later in the opening stanza pushed the Rockets' advantage to 41-19 just under four minutes prior to intermission. That was UT's largest cushion in the first half as the Rockets took a 46-25 lead to the locker room.

Toledo provided the visitors no hope for making a comeback by opening the second half with an 8-0 spurt. Sanford opened the Rockets 'quick start with a trey and a Williams' free throw followed by layups from Knapke and Williams increased Toledo's margin to 54-25 with 16:26 to play.

Lauf's two free throws with 11:10 remaining provided Toledo its largest lead, 68-33, of the evening.

Toledo returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 7 when it hosts Miami (8-6, 1-0 MAC) in the final contest of a season-high five-game homestand.