Second-Half Burst Pushes Rockets Past Miami, 68-64

Friday, January 5

Toledo, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

8-6,2-0MAC

Miami

6-8,0-2MAC

Miami (OH)

Toledo

Junior Ra'Heim Moss led the Rockets with 18 points, six rebounds and four steals in Toledo's 68-64 win over Miami.

Photo by: Bree Bee

Second-Half Burst Pushes Rockets Past Miami, 68-64

1/5/2024 10:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

Toledo improves to 2-0 in MAC play after rallying from 14 points down in second half

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team rallied from 14 points down in the second half to pull out a 68-64 victory over Miami in Savage Arena on Friday night and improve to 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play.

The Rockets (8-6) were down eight with 7:13 to play before going on a game-changing 14-2 run to take a 63-59 advantage at the 2:07 mark. Miami (6-8, 0-2 MAC) came within a point twice in the final two minutes but couldn't regain the lead.

It was the 21st consecutive win for the Rockets over Miami, a streak that dates back to the 2011-12 season.

"We grinded out a league win and now we're 2-0," said Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk, who is now 21-1 vs. Miami. "Our crowd really made a difference tonight because they got behind us in the second half and helped us make our comeback. I thought Miami outplayed us, especially in the first half. I give our guys credit for staying together and making plays at winning time."

Junior Ra'Heim Moss paced the Rockets with 18 points, six rebounds and a career-high tying four steals. Joining Moss in double digits were junior Tyler Cochran (15 pts.), junior Dante Maddox Jr. (13 pts.) and redshirt freshman Javan Simmons (10 pts.).

Graduate transfer Darweshi Hunter topped Miami with 18 points.

Toledo shot 49.1% from the field and limited the RedHawks to a 44.8%, including 37.0% in the second half. The Rockets held a decided advantage in the free-throw department, knocking down 12-of-14 attempts compared to Miami's 3-of-5 totals.

Toledo is back in action next week when it visits Kent State (8-5, 1-0 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The contest will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

Miami jumped out to an 8-4 lead before Toledo answered with a 9-2 run that was capped by a Dante Maddox Jr. three-pointer that gave the Rockets a 13-10 lead at the 12:35 mark.
Miami fought back and took a 24-23 lead with 6:28 left in the half on a three-pointer and a layup by Ryan Mabrey.
Darweshi Hunter hit a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper to increase the RedHawks' lead to 32-23, forcing Toledo to call timeout at the 4:00 mark.
Ra'Heim Moss cut the lead to 32-27 with a pair of buckets, but Hunter hit a pair of triples and Reece Potter tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to give Miami a 40-29 halftime edge.
Miami shot 53.3% from the field in the first half, while Toledo connected on 44.4% from the floor and was just 1-of-8 from three-point range.
Moss and Tyler Cochran led Toledo with eight points apiece, while Hunter had 13 for Miami.

SECOND HALF

The teams exchanged baskets in the early part of the second half with Miami's lead fluctuating between 10 and 14 points.
Toledo cut the margin to six points, 52-46, on a step-back three-pointer by Andre Lorentsson and a steal and fast-break layup by Moss, forcing Miami to call timeout with 13:04 to play.
The Rockets cut the lead to four points on a Moss layup, but Miami countered with a pair of baskets to push the lead back to eight, 56-48, with 9:07 left.
Toledo went on a 7-0 run capped by a Javan Simmons layup that trimmed the Miami lead to one, 57-56, at the 5:18 mark.
A Maddox three-pointer gave Toledo its first lead of the second half, 61-59, with 2:45 left to play.
Following a Moss floater, Mabrey buried a three to trim the Rockets' advantage to 63-62 with 1:43 left.
Miami had a chance to take the lead but Anderson Mirambeaux missed a layup in the paint, and Moss sank two free throws with 9.3 seconds left for a 67-64 lead.

BY THE NUMBERS

Toledo leads its all-time series by a 70-68 margin and has won its last 21 games vs. the RedHawks. Eleven of those victories have come in Savage Arena.
The Rockets are now 5-1 in games decided by five points or less and 4-5 when trailing at halftime.
• Toledo is 50-9 (.847) in league play since the start of the 2020-21 season. The Rockets are 27-3 (.900) in MAC home games during this stretch.