TOLEDO, OH – Toledo led wire-to-wire to extend its winning streak to a season-high five games with a 91-76 triumph over Miami on Saturday afternoon in Savage Arena. The victory, which was UT's eighth straight in its series vs. the RedHawks, gave the Rockets (9-6, 2-0 MAC) their first 2-0 start in league play since the 2012-13 campaign.
Senior guard
Jonathan Williams led four Rockets in double figures with 25 points, including 16 in the second half to give him his eighth straight 20-point outing. Joining Williams in double digits was sophomore guard
Jaelan Sanford with his second-consecutive 22-point outburst, sophomore forward
Nate Navigato with a season-best 17 points and senior forward
Steve Taylor Jr. with 12 points and 12 rebounds for his 11
th double-double of the season.
Junior forward Logan McLane topped the RedHawks (8-7, 1-1 MAC) with a career-high 25 points, while junior forward Rod Mills Jr. contributed a career-best 20 points.
Toledo held a 34-24 advantage on the boards, marking the 13
th time in 15 contests this season the Midnight Blue and Gold has outrebounded its opposition. The Rockets also dished out 21 assists with freshman guard
Justin Roberts leading the way with a season-high five helpers.
UT shot an impressive season-best 56.6 percent from the field as a team and tied it season high with 11 three-point field goals. Miami posted a 48.3 field-goal mark with a 31.3 three-point FG% (5-of-16). Toledo also converted a season-high 87.0 percent (20-of-23) at the charity stripe.
After the teams exchanged baskets on the game's first four possessions, Williams ignited an 8-0 run with a three-pointer that provided the Rockets a 12-4 lead four minutes into the contest. Back-to-back treys from Sanford and Navigato increased UT's cushion to 15 points, 26-11, with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. Another Sanford trey gave Toledo its largest lead of the first half, 34-16, less than three minutes later.
After leading 42-28 at the half, the Rockets made their first five shots of the second half to take a 58-40 advantage following senior guard
Jordan Lauf's three-point play with 15:35 to play.
Toledo's largest lead in the second half was 25 points after Sanford's two free throws put the Rockets in front by a 74-49 margin with 11:39 remaining.
UT will now play its next two games on the road, beginning with a trip to Kalamazoo, MI to meet Western Michigan (4-10, 0-2 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN3.
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