ESTERO, Fla. – Senior Setric Millner Jr. registered a double-double and four more Rockets scored in double figures to lead the Toledo men's basketball team to an 82-69 victory over Northern Kentucky in its final game of the Gulf Coast Showcase.

"This was an important win for us today," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "Our backs were to the wall. We didn't lose two games in a row last year during the regular season, and that was one of our goals this season. We have some things to fix when we get back to Toledo, and we learned from this tournament what we need to improve on."

Millner tallied a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets (4-2), while senior RayJ Dennis scored 13 points and dished out a team-best eight assists. Sophomore Dante Maddox Jr. nearly finished with a double-double in his first start as a Rocket by scoring 12 points and grabbing a season-high nine boards.

"Seth was efficient today by making 7-of-9 shots and hitting all six of his free throws," Kowalczyk said. "He played like an all-league player."

Senior JT Shumate added 12 points before fouling out after receiving a technical foul with 11:09 remaining. Sophomore EJ Farmer contributed a career-high 11 points and was 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 behind the arc.

LJ Wells topped Northern Kentucky (2-4) with 20 points off the bench.

Toledo shot 49.2 percent from the field, 34.5 percent (10-of-29) from three-point range and 12-of-14 (.857) at the charity stripe. NKU registered a 45.6 FG%, a 35.0 three-point FG% (7-of-20) and was 10-of-15 (.667) from the free-throw line.

The Rockets jumped on the Norse right of the gates, bolting to a 15-0 lead and increasing it to as much as 20 before settling for a 45-33 halftime advantage. NKU rallied to within four points midway through the second stanza, but Toledo went on a 7-0 run in the game's final three minutes to put an end to its brief two-game losing streak.

The Rockets return home to host Atlantic 10 power Richmond on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m.. Toledo will wear new black uniforms for the contest and all fans are encouraged to wear black as part of a Black Out in Savage Arena. 

The first 400 UT students attending the game will receive a free long-sleeve black shirt. The shirts will also be on sale to all fans at the game for $20. Click HERE to order.

As a special promotion for the game, the Rockets are offering $5 seats in the Upper East B section. Click HERE to take advantage of this special Black Out Game offer.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• JT Shumate and Dante Maddox Jr. each hit three-point field goals in the first two minutes for a 6-0 lead.
• Another Maddox triple and a Ra'Heim Moss layup increased the Rockets' cushion to 15-0 with 14:43 left in the first half.
• A pair of EJ Farmer treys keyed a 9-0 spurt that put Toledo in front 28-8 three minutes later.
• Toledo held a 45-33 halftime advantage after shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Maddox topped the Rockets with 12 points with Farmer adding 10.

SECOND HALF

• NKU cut Toledo's lead to 47-38 less than two minutes after intermission, but Shumate answered with a three-point play.
• The Rockets maintained that double-digit cushion until a 7-0 Norse run made it a 61-57 ballgame with 9:56 to play.
• Millner buried a three-pointer on UT's next possession and a RayJ Dennis layup on the next trip up the court gave the Rockets a 67-58 advantage with 8:51 left.
• Toledo kept its lead at least seven points until NKU closed within 75-69 with 3:02 left.
• Dennis' layup put Toledo ahead eight on the next possession, and a Millner three-point play resulted in an insurmountable 80-69 cushion.