TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo regained sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference with an 88-73 triumph over Miami on Saturday afternoon before 5,539 fans in Savage Arena. The victory improved the Rockets' record to 23-6 overall and 15-3 in league play, tying their school record of 15 conference victories set last season.
 
"Today was a good conference win in late February because there was a lot a stake for both teams," said Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk after posting Toledo's 17^th straight victory over Miami. "Miami's a talented team with very good guards and a tough matchup. We ended the first half strong, and I thought our defensive energy to start the second half was tremendous. That was a big key to our win today."
 
Sophomore Ryan Rollins paced the Rockets with 24 points and also collected eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Juniors Setric Millner Jr. and JT Shumate each scored 18 points apiece, while redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss notched his second double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior RayJ Dennis was the fifth Rocket to reach double figures with 13 points and a team-high five assists.
 
Toledo dominated in the paint throughout, outscoring the RedHawks by a 46-14 margin and holding a 40-33 rebounding advantage.
 
The Rockets shot 53.8 percent from the field, including a red-hot 62.1 clip in the final 20 minutes. Rollins (11-of-17), Shumate (6-of-10) and Millner Jr. (7-of-12) each converted at a high rate in the shooting department.
 
Miami (12-17, 6-12 MAC) shot 37.3 percent from the field with the majority of its offense coming from a 14-of-32 (43.8 percent) performance from behind the three-point arc. Junior Dae Dae Grant led the RedHawks in scoring with 24 points.
 
The Rockets return to action on Tuesday, March 1 with road contest at Buffalo. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Dae Dae Grant scored seven points to spark a 10-3 run that gave the RedHawks a 14-9 lead at the 14:32 mark.
• Toledo trimmed its deficit to two, 20-18, on a RayJ Dennis jumper with 10:50 remaining.
• Kamari Williams' three-pointer capped off an 8-2 RedHawk spurt that pushed their lead to 26-18 with 9:26 left.
• The RedHawks took their largest lead by scored seven straight points for a 33-22 margin two minutes later.
• Ryan Rollins scored eight points during the Rockets' 18-6 run to end the half to take a 40-39 lead to the locker room.
• Rollins led Toledo with 12 points, with JT Shumate adding 10 in the first 20 minutes.

 
SECOND HALF

• Toledo opened up the half strong, with dunks from Dennis and Ra'Heim Moss sparking a 10-2 spurt for a 50-41 cushion just over two minutes into the second stanza.
• Rollins then scored four points during a 9-0 burst that pushed the Rockets' lead to 63-46 with 9:14 left.
• Toledo increased its advantage to as many as 19 points, but the Rockets didn't let the RedHawks come closer than 13 points down the stretch.