TOLEDO, Ohio – A red-hot shooting Vermont squad was too much for the Toledo men's basketball team to overcome on Wednesday night in an 86-60 setback to the Catamounts (9-4) in Savage Arena. The defeat snapped the Rockets' three-game winning streak and dropped UT's overall record to 6-5.
 
"It's been an awfully long time since we had our tails whupped and humbled like we were tonight," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We're used to winning and will certainly bounce back from this and learn from it. Vermont is a good team that's well-coached and has won seven straight league titles. We needed to play much better defensively tonight to be successful."
 
Junior guard Tyler Cochran led the Rockets in double figures with 12 points. Junior Dante Maddox Jr. and freshman Sonny Wilson each tallied 11 points. Junior Ra'Heim Moss topped UT with eight rebounds and a season-high six assists.
 
Junior TJ Long paced Vermont offensively with a game-high 19 points.
 
Toledo held a 42-37 rebounding advantage, but that wasn't enough to overcome Vermont's 54.1 shooting mark. The Catamounts knocked down 10-of-27 three-point shots compared to the Rockets' 4-of-22 totals from behind the arc.
 
Toledo is back in action this weekend when it travels to Morgantown, W. Va. to face Big 12 foe West Virginia (4-7). Tip-off time is set for 1:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
FIRST HALF

• Vermont took an early five-point lead when Tyler Cochran's driving layup brought the Rockets within 13-10 at the 12:26 mark.
• The Catamounts responded with a 6-0 burst to extend their lead to 19-10 just over a minute later.
• Toledo clawed its way back to within 23-18 following Javan Simmons' layup with eight minutes left in the half.
• The visitors took control by hitting four straight three-pointers as part of a 12-0 spurt for a 35-18 cushion with 4:13 left in the half. 
• Toledo trailed 42-24 at halftime after shooting just 27.8% in the first half. The Catamounts registered a 51.6 mark, including 7-of-16 from three-point range. 

SECOND HALF

• Vermont opened the second half with a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 22 points, 53-31, with 16:39 to play.  
• Javan Simmons' layup cut Vermont's advantage to 62-45 at the 10:22 mark.  
• The Catamounts scored the game's next six points though to remove any hopes of a Rocket comeback.