AKRON, Ohio – Three days after seeing its seven-game winning streak snapped by Ball State, Toledo provided an emphatic response with a convincing 77-56 triumph over Akron on Saturday afternoon in Rhodes Arena.  The victory improved the Rockets' record to 16-7 overall and 8-2 in league play and extended UT's lead in the Mid-American Conference's West Division to three games.

The tandem of senior guard Tre'Shaun Fletcher and junior guard Jaelan Sanford propelled the Rockets to their 11^th victory in last 13 contests. Fletcher tallied a game-high 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Sanford contributed 18 points, seven boards and five helpers. Four other Rockets scored seven or more points, including a season-high tying nine from junior forward Taylor Adway and a career-best seven from redshirt freshman forward James Gordon IV.

Sophomore forward Daniel Utomi was one of three Zips to score in double digits, finishing with a team-high 17 points.

Toledo shot 50.0 percent from the field, including a 56.0 mark in the second half, and was 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) behind the three-point arc. UT limited Akron to a 39.0 field-goal percentage en route to its fourth straight road win and sixth in last seven meetings against the Zips.

The Rockets controlled the glass by a 40-31 margin, resulting in a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points. UT also protected the basketball well, tallying 18 assists and committing just nine turnovers.

Akron scored the game's first seven points and held a 9-2 lead before Toledo answered with a 12-2 spurt. Sanford culminated the Rockets' run with a jumper for a 14-11 lead with 13:12 remaining in the first half.

UT kept the pressure on the Zips as sophomore guard Justin Roberts buried two treys and Fletcher hit another for a 27-18 cushion just under seven minutes before halftime. Akron then cut into the Rockets' lead by getting hot from the perimeter. Utomi's two three-pointers sandwiched one from Virshon Cotton, and Toledo's lead was down to 29-27 with 4:42 remaining in the opening stanza.

UT held the Zips scoreless the rest of the half though and baskets from Sanford and Fletcher in the final minute enabled the Rockets to a take a 35-27 lead into the locker room.

Toledo extended its run to 11 straight points by jumping on the Zips in the first minute of the second half. An Adway layup and a Sanford trey extended UT's lead to 40-27. The Rockets gained firm control of the game three minutes later with a 7-0 spurt for a 51-32 lead at the 15:29 mark. UT's lead didn't fall below 14 points the remainder of the contest.

Toledo returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 6 when it hosts Northern Illinois in Savage Arena. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m.


Post-Game Press Conference with Coach Kowalczyk and Jaelan Sanford