AKRON, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team started strong but ended up falling to Akron, 85-78, on Tuesday evening in Rhodes Arena in a battle of two unbeaten teams in the Mid-American Conference. The defeat leaves the Rockets (9-7, 3-1 MAC) a game behind the Zips (11-5, 4-0), Miami (12-4, 4-0) and Ohio (10-6, 4-0) in the league standings.

Toledo held a 42-30 halftime advantage after ending the first half with a 13-2 run. Akron responded though with a 23-4 run in the second half to pull away for the victory.

"We played very well in the first half, but we knew it was going to be physical at the start of the second half," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "Our players got frustrated with the officiating which led to Akron going on a run and the crowd getting back into it. In order to win a championship, you have to keep playing and put that stuff aside."

Fifth-year senior Isaiah Adams topped Toledo with 17 points. He was joined in double figures by sophomores Javan Simmons (15 pts.) and Sam Lewis (14 pts.). Sophomore Sonny Wilson finished with nine points and topped the Rockets with a career-high 10 rebounds and five assists and committed just one turnover in 34 minutes.

Junior Nate Johnson paced the Zips offensively with a career-high 28 points and nine rebounds.

Toledo shot 37.5% from the field but converted 25-of-31 attempts (80.6%) at the free-throw line. Akron posted a 46.7 shooting mark and was 9-of-29 (31.0%) behind the three-point arc.

Akron registered a 47-39 rebounding advantage, including 17 on the offensive glass. Both teams committed fewer than 10 turnovers, with the Rockets notching eight and the Zips tallying nine.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Bryce Ford and Sam Lewis both hit three-pointers to help Toledo take an 12-4 lead and force the Zips to take an early timeout.
• The Rockets stretched their lead to 21-10 on Grgur Brcic's slam with 12:18 left in the half.
• Akron rallied to within 23-17 three minutes later, but baskets from Ford and Javan Simmons pushed the Rockets' cushion back to 27-17 just over eight minutes before halftime.
• Shammah Scott's three-pointer then capped an 11-2 Zip spurt to trim UT's lead to a point, 29-28, at the 4:38 mark.
• Toledo ended the half on a 13-2 run for a 42-30 halftime advantage.

SECOND HALF

• The Zips reduced their deficit to six early in the second half, but Isaiah Adams' two free throws gave the Rockets a 46-38 lead with 17:50 remaining
• Akron then erupted with a 21-4 spurt to take a 59-50 advantage with 9:34 left.
• Javan Simmons ended the Zips' uprising by scoring five straight points to bring UT within 61-55 a minute later.
• Toledo had a chance to get to within four points down the stretch, but Simmons missed the front end of a one-and-one with 5:42 to play.
• The Rockets rallied one last time when Sam Lewis and Adams buried back-to-back triples to cut the Zips' lead to 81-76 with 1:03 left.
• Amani Lyles answered with a layup on Akron's next possession to end UT's comeback bid.

 
UP NEXT
The Rockets continue their stretch of playing four of five games on the road with a trip to Muncie, Ind. to meet Ball State (8-8, 2-2 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off time for the contest is set for 2:00 p.m.