TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team will begin a four-game road stretch when it travels to Northeast Ohio to face Youngstown State (5-5, 2-0 Horizon) on Saturday, Dec. 14. Tip-off time is set for 1:00 p.m. in the Zidian Family Arena at the Beeghly Center with streaming on ESPN+.

Sophomore Sonny Wilson is leading the Rockets (6-3) with 16.3 ppg, with sophomore Sam Lewis (13.1), sophomore Javan Simmons (12.0), and fifth-year senior Isaiah Adams (10.9) joining him in double figures. Wilson possesses the team's best field-goal percentage at 56.3% and is dishing out a team-high 3.4 apg. He also is second on the team with 1.1 spg.

Lewis scored a career-high 18 points and made all seven of his shots to lead Toledo to a 111-49 home win over NAIA foe Defiance last Saturday. UT's 111 points were its most since defeating Oakland by a 112-90 margin on Nov. 16, 2022.

Lewis was joined in double figures by Simmons (16 pts.), Wilson (16 pts.), freshman Jaylan Ouwinga (13 pts.), sophomore Grgur Brcic (13 pts.) and sophomore Bryce Ford (13 pts.).

Brcic also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to help the Rockets to a 52-25 rebounding average. Fifth-year senior Isaiah Adams tallied nine points, six rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.

Youngstown State opened conference play last week with a 72-58 victory at Robert Morris and a 66-50 home win over Oakland. Former Rocket EJ Farmer leads YSU with 13.9 ppg and is joined in double figures by senior Nico Galette with 13.3 ppg and a team-high 6.5 rpg.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.
Tip-Off: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Youngstown, Ohio.
Arena: Zidian Family Arena (4,633).
Streaming: ESPN+. Robb Schmidt will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Ron Potesta 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 11-2. Toledo has won the last three meetings vs. YSU with home wins in 2011 (86-77) and 2016 (103-98) as well as a road victory in 2015 (100-78).
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Sophomore Sonny Wilson earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team last year and leads UT with 16.3 ppg, 3.4 apg, and a 56.3 FG%.
•  Wilson is the only Rocket to score in double figures in every game this season.
•  Sophomore Javan Simmons was a unanimous selection for 2023-24 MAC Freshman of the Year and is a member of the 2024-25 Preseason All-MAC First Team. He ranks third on the team with 12.0 ppg and tied for first with 4.8 rpg.
•  Simmons registered his only two double-doubles last year at App State (Feb. 10) and vs. Ohio (Feb. 16).
•  Sophomore Sam Lewis scored a career-high 18 points and made 7-of-7 shots vs. Defiance (Dec. 7). He is second in team scoring (13.1 ppg) and leads UT with a 48.0 3PTFG%.
•  Senior transfer Isaiah Adams started 25 of 26 games last year for Buffalo and was the Bulls' second-leading scorer with 12.8 ppg. He leads UT with 1.3 spg this season and is averaging 10.9 ppg, including a season-high 18 points vs. Wright St. (Nov. 13). He also ranks second with 3.1 apg, including a career-high 10 vs. Defiance (Dec. 7).
•  In two games vs. the Rockets last year, Adams averaged 21.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg with a 60.7 FG% (17-of-28) and a 41.7 three-point FG% (5-of-12).
•  Senior Andre Lorentsson led the MAC with a career-best 47.2 three-point FG% (34-of-72) last year and is averaging 5.2 ppg this season. Last year, he averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg and ranked second on team with a career-high 34 three-point field goals made.
•  Junior transfer Seth Hubbard led Western Michigan last year with 14.1 ppg, 1.1 spg, and 79.8 FT%. He is the Rockets' top scorer off the bench with 8.8 ppg and ranks second on the team with 10 three-point field goals made.
•  UT was the only school in the MAC with three individuals in the Top 15 in scoring last year with Dante Maddox Jr. (8th/15.6 ppg), Ra'Heim Moss (10th/15.5 ppg), and Tyler Cochran (12th/14.4 ppg). It marked the third straight season that Toledo has had three of the MAC's Top 15 scorers.

PROTECTING THE BASKETBALL & DEFENDING WITHOUT FOULING
•   Toledo ranks among the national leaders in fewest turnovers per game, averaging a MAC-best 8.6 miscues per game.
•   The Rockets are No. 3 in the nation, trailing only Ole Miss (8.0) and Charlotte (8.1).
•   The Rockets rank 10th with a league-best 1.84 assist/turnover ratio.
•   Toledo ranks 14th nationally with 13.8 fouls per game. The Rockets have registered 42 more free-throw attempts than its opponents for an average of 4.7 FT attempts per game
 
ROAD WARRIORS
     The Rockets were 8-5 in road games last season and have posted a 36-20 (.643) win-loss mark in road games since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Toledo possesses a 59-40 (.596) win-loss mark on enemy courts since the start of the 2017-18 season.

ON THE HORIZON
     Toledo's next two games will be against nationally ranked opponents. The Rockets will visit No. 15 Houston (5-3) on Wednesday, Dec. 18 followed by a matchup at No. 11 Purdue (8-2) on Sunday, Dec. 29. UT will open Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Western Michigan (3-5).