TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo (8-4) wraps up its non-conference season on Thursday, Dec. 29 when it hosts NAIA foe Lourdes University (10-5) in Savage Arena. Tip-off time is 6:00 p.m. for the Rockets' first meeting vs. the Gray Wolves in program history.

Toledo entered its holiday break with last Tuesday's 84-72 road victory over Vermont. Four Rockets scored in double digits in the win and Toledo shot 54.1 percent from the field.

JT Shumate led the way with 19 points and was followed by Setric Millner Jr. (18 pts.), RayJ Dennis (16 pts.), and Dante Maddox Jr. (12 pts.). Toledo dominated the Catamounts on the glass by a 42-26 margin with Millner leading the way with 10 boards for his third double-double of the season.

Toledo is ranked 20th nationally with a MAC-best 83.5 ppg and also leads the MAC with a 1.29 assist/turnover ratio. The Rockets are second with a 47.9 field-goal percentage, a 37.8 three-point FG%, 14.75 apg and a plus-2.25 turnover margin.

Individually, JT Shumate is second in the MAC with 19.6 ppg and has scored 19 or more points in six straight games. RayJ Dennis ranks fifth in MAC scoring at 19.0 ppg and has tallied 16 or more points in 10 of 12 contests this season. He also ranks 11th in the nation with 6.0 apg and 31st with a 2.9 assist/turnover ratio. Setric Millner, Jr. is tied for 13th in the conference with 14.2 ppg. He is also fifth with a team-high 7.3 rpg, with Shumate ranking second with 1.4 bpg.

Lourdes posted a 113-62 victory over Lambton in its most recent outing last Wednesday. Jackie Harris led the Gray Wolves with 26 points and 10 rebounds, with Joey Holifield scoring 13 points. Holifield is Lourdes' leading scoring with 16.1 ppg, while Harris ranks second with 14.8 ppg and first with 6.9 rpg.
 
TOLEDO VS. LOURDES
Date: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.
Tip-Off: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
TV/Streaming: BCSN/ESPN+. Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Rhett Boyd serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Mark Beier will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.
 
SERIES
First meeting.

ROCKETS IN THE MAC RANKINGS
•  Toledo leads the MAC with 83.5 ppg, just under four points better than Buffalo (79.8), and is also first with a 1.29 assist/turnover ratio.
•  The Rockets are also second with a 47.9 FG%, a 37.8 3PTFG%, 14.8 apg and a plus-2.25 turnover margin.
•  Toledo is the only school to have three representatives among the MAC's Top 15 scoring leaders — JT Shumate (19.6/2nd), RayJ Dennis (19.0/5th), and Setric Millner Jr. (14.2 ppg/14th).
•  Dennis leads the MAC with 6.0 apg and a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio.
•  Shumate is the only player in the MAC to rank in the Top 5 in FG% (58.6/2nd), 3PTFG% (42.3%/5th) and FT% (87.5/4th).
•  Shumate and Dennis rank first and second in the MAC in 20-point outings with eight and six, respectively.
•  Millner Jr is fifth with 7.3 rpg.
•  Dante Maddox Jr. is ninth in the MAC with a 40.5 three-point FG%.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo is ranked No. 13 in this week's CollegeInsiders.com poll. Kent State is the only other MAC team in the rankings at No. 4.
•  The Rockets have scored 90 or more points on three occasions, including 112 points vs. Oakland (Nov. 16) to match their most points ever scored under Coach Kowalczyk.
•  Toledo has had three MAC Player of Week honorees this season - RayJ Dennis (Nov. 14, Dec. 12) and JT Shumate (Nov. 21). Shumate also earned MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of Week honors on Dec. 14).
•  Toledo has shot over 80 percent from the free-throw line in six games, including all 13 of its attempts from the charity stripe at Northern Iowa (Dec. 6).
•  Toledo is the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games four of last five years.
•  Toledo scored 82 or more points in 15 of 20 MAC games last year.
•  Toledo was 8-2 in conference road games last season after posting a 6-3 mark in league contests away from home in the 2020-21 campaign.
•  Toledo's 47 victories over the last two seasons entering this year was tied for 18th in the nation and was one win away from matching the most wins in back-to-back seasons by a Rocket squad - 23-11 in 2017-18 and 25-8 in 2018-19.

POST TOUCHES
•  RayJ Dennis tallied a career-high 29 points, a season-best nine rebounds and six assists vs. Canisius (Dec. 10) to help him be named MAC Player of the Week for a second time this season. He also scored 23 points vs. both Valparaiso (Nov. 7) and UAB (Nov. 11) to earn MAC Player of the Week honors. Dennis dished out a career-high 12 assists in addition to scoring 17 points vs. Oakland (Nov. 16.
•  Dennis has scored in double digits in every game this season (16 or more in 10 games) after ending the 2021-22 season by scoring in double digits in a career-high 14 straight games during which he had a 51.9 FG% and scored 14.0 ppg.
•  JT Shumate tied his career high with 33 points on 15-of-21 shooting vs. Oakland (Nov. 16) to earn MAC Player of Week honors. He has a MAC-high eight 20-point outings this year.
•  Setric Millner Jr. has three 20-point outings as well as three double-doubles this season. He leads UT with a career-high 7.3 rpg and ranks third in team scoring with 14.222 ppg.
•  Andre Lorentsson scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting in seven minutes at Vermont (Dec. 20).
  
ON THE HORIZON
     The Rockets will open league play with two home games vs. Ball State on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. and Western Michigan on Friday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Both contests will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.