Rockets Hold Off Oakland for 69-68 Road Win

Wednesday, December 6

Rochester, Mich.

7:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

4-4,0-0MAC

Oakland

5-5,1-1Horizon

Toledo

Oakland

Junior Dante Maddox Jr. led Toledo with 20 points in its 69-68 win at Oakland.

12/6/2023 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

Junior Dante Maddox Jr. tops Rockets with 20 points including pair of late free throws

ROCHESTER, Mich. – Junior Dante Maddox Jr. scored a game-high 20 points, including two free throws with 19.4 seconds left, to lift the Toledo men's basketball team (4-4) to a 69-68 non-conference road victory over Oakland (5-5) on Wednesday night.

"We've played a lot of close games against some really good teams this season, and this was a much-needed win for us," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We had a great start to the second half, and then we made plays down the stretch. A big key for us was limiting our turnovers after halftime."

Maddox was joined in double digits by junior Tyler Cochran (14 pts.), junior Ra'Heim Moss (12 pts.) and redshirt freshman Javan Simmons (12 pts.) Simmons also grabbed a season-high eight rebounds, while Cochran collected seven rebounds and tied his season high with five steals.

Blake Lampman and Trey Townend each scored 14 points to lead Oakland.

Toledo trailed 36-32 at the half but came out of the locker room on fire with an 18-2 spurt to take a 50-38 lead with 14:02 remaining. Oakland crept back in the game and took a 57-56 lead with 5:25 left on a pair of Townsend free throws.

Neither team led by more than two points until Maddox's two free throws put the Rockets in front 69-66 in the final minute. Oakland missed a three-pointer, but Isaiah Jones grabbed the rebound and scored on a layup with 10 seconds left. The Rockets then missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Townsend missed a shot at the buzzer.

Toledo returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 9 vs. Northern Iowa for the first of three straight games in Savage Arena. The contest is a Blackout and will tip off at 2:00 p.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

Three-point field goals from Dante Maddox Jr. and Sonny Wilson helped Toledo jump out to a 12-4 lead less than four minutes into the game.
The Rockets held that advantage until Oakland went on a 12-2 spurt to take a 30-24 lead with seven minutes left in the half.
Toledo trailed 36-28 with 2:45 remaining before halftime, but Javan Simmons' layup and a pair of Maddox free throws made it a four-point game at intermission.

SECOND HALF

Toledo took a 50-38 advantage early in the second half with an 18-2 spurt. Ra'Heim Moss sparked the game-changing spurt by scoring his first 10 points of the game.
The Rockets eventually led by as many as 14 points, 54-40, but Oakland responded with a 17-2 run to take a 57-56 lead with 5:25 to play.
Neither team led by more than two points down the stretch until Maddox hit a pair of three throws with 19.4 second left.