TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team (3-3) looks to return to its winning ways when it hosts Atlantic 10 foe George Mason (6-1) on Saturday, Dec. 2 in Savage Arena. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.

The Rockets will be looking to bounce back from three tight losses to top mid-major teams New Mexico (92-84), UC Irvine (77-71), and Indiana State (76-74) at last week's Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nev. Each of those schools are ranked in the Top 100 of the KenPom computer rankings.

Ra'Heim Moss topped the Rockets offensively during the tournament with 17.7 ppg. Dante Maddox Jr. and Javan Simmons each contributed 13.0 ppg for UT. 

Maddox and Moss combined for 45 points in the Rockets' eight-point setback to the Lobos. Maddox's three-pointer reduced New Mexico's lead to 78-75 with three minutes left, but the Rockets couldn't come any closer. Toledo trailed the Anteaters, 72-58, with 5:02 remaining before clawing back within a point, 72-71, on Tyler Cochran's layup with 33 seconds left. UC Irvine regrouped though to pull out a six-point win. UT held a 65-60 lead with 6:23 to play against the Sycamores but couldn't convert in the final minute in a two-point setback. Simmons topped Toledo with 14 points.

George Mason will be playing its first road game and has won six of its first seven under first-year head coach Tony Skinn following Wednesday's 86-68 win over NJIT. Sophomore Keyshawn Hall is the Patriots' top scorer and rebounder with 16.3 ppg and 9.7 rpg after transferring to GMU from UNLV. Senior Darius Maddox is averaging 13.0 ppg and 3.6 rpg after playing the last three years at Virginia Tech, while UNCW graduate transfer Amari Kelly is averaging 12.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Streaming: 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
Toledo leads 3-2. Toledo lost 80-73 at George Mason last year. The two schools previously met for four straight years from 1998-2001. UT won the first meeting on the road 60-59 before posting 82-74 and 84-75 wins at home. GMU won the matchup in 2001 by a 67-64 margin.

POST TOUCHES
•  Junior Ra'Heim Moss has scored in double digits in every game this season and is averaging a career-best 16.7 ppg and shooting a career-high 53.1% from the field. Moss also leads the Rockets with 29 free throws made and 37 free throws attempted.
•  Junior Dante Maddox Jr. ranks second on the team with 13.3 ppg and 12 three-point field goals made.
•  Redshirt freshman Javan Simmons is third on the team with 12.5 ppg and has scored in double digits in five contests. He has a team-best 86.4 FT% and is second with a 56.3 FG%.
•  Freshman Sonny Wilson leads the MAC with a 2.25 assist/turnover ratio.
•  Junior Andre Lorentsson leads the MAC with a 60.0 three-point field-goal percentage and is second on the team with nine treys.
 
TEAM TIDBITS
•  Toledo leads the MAC in THREE categories — 49.3 FG%, 40.4 3PTFG% and 8.2 spg.
•  The Rockets rank in the NCAA's Top 20 in TWO categories - 13th in three-point FG% (40.4) and 16th in turnovers forced per game (17.0).
•  SEVEN Rockets are shooting 50.0% or higher (min. 2.0 shots/game) from the field
•  SEVEN Rockets are scoring 5.0 ppg or more with FOUR averaging 9.0 ppg or higher.
•  UT's bench is averaging 27.0 ppg compared to its opponent's total of 8.0 ppg.
•  Toledo has registered FIVE 20-win seasons in the last SIX years. In addition, the Rockets are one of 11 programs nationally to win 21 or more games each of the last THREE seasons. Other schools to do so are Baylor, Belmont, Drake, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Morehead State, UAB, UCLA, and USC.
•  Toledo is the only MAC school to win 13 or more league games in five of the last six years.
•  UT's last two defeats to UC Irvine (77-71) and Indiana State (76-74) snapped a six-game winning streak in games decided by six points or less.

HOME SWEET HOME
•  Toledo is 40-4 (.909) over the last three-plus seasons in Savage Arena. UT has a 10-game home winning streak dating back to last year. The Rockets' defeats have come at the hands of Ball State last year, Dayton and Kent State in the 2021-22 season and Bowling Green in the 2020-21 campaign. UT's last regular-season non-conference defeat was vs. Wright State on Dec. 21, 2019.
•  The Rockets' home records over the last three years are 13-1 (2022-23), 13-2 (2021-22) and 12-1 (2020-21).
•  The Rockets' unbeaten home mark (15-0) under Coach Kowalczyk in 2013-14 was their first since 1966-67 and just the fourth time in school history UT accomplished the feat.
 
ON THE HORIZON
•  Toledo will visit Oakland on Wednesday, Dec. 6 before hosting three straight games in Savage Arena vs. Northern Iowa (Dec. 9), Marshall (Dec. 13), and Vermont (Dec. 20).