TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team (13-8, 7-2 MAC) looks to extend its three-game winning streak when it hosts Buffalo (7-14, 2-7 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The contest will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and be streamed on ESPN+.

UT is currently in third place in the Mid-American Conference standings, trailing first-place Akron (16-5, 9-0) by two games and second-place Miami (16-5, 8-1) by a single game.

The four-time defending MAC champion Rockets held a comfortable lead for much of the game on Saturday vs. Northern Illinois before seeing the Huskies rally late in an 89-85 victor. Sam Lewis poured in a career-high 23 points and Javan Simmons registered a double-double to lead Toledo.

Lewis and Simmons (13 pts.) were joined in double figures by Sonny Wilson (19 pts.), Bryce Ford (14 pts.) and Isaiah Adams (10 pts.). Simmons tied his season best with 12 rebounds to help the Rockets out-rebound the Huskies by a 49-33 margin.

Wilson and Lewis are leading Toledo with 15.5 and 14.8 ppg, respectively. Simmons is averaging 12.2 points and a team-high 6.4 rpg, while Adams checks in with 10.7 ppg. Ford and Lewis are the MAC's top two perimeter shooters. Ford leads the way with a 45.3 3PTFG% with Lewis right behind him with a 44.7 mark.

Buffalo's two league wins have come at Western Michigan (Jan. 18) and vs. Central Michigan (Jan. 28). The Bulls dropped an 89-76 home decision to Ball State on Saturday. UT has won seven-straight games over the Bulls. Later this season, the Rockets will travel to Buffalo on March 1.

For the Bulls, Ryan Sabol ranks second in the MAC with 16.4 ppg and first with 3.24 3PTFGs per game. Tyson Dunn ranks second on the team with 12.3 ppg and dishing out a MAC-best 5.9 apg. The Bulls rank last in the MAC in scoring defense (81.7 ppg) and commit a league-high 14.7 turnovers per game.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014)
Television: ESPN+. Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Rhett Boyd 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 22-14. The Rockets have won seven straight in the series following Buffalo's five-game win streak from 2018-20. Toledo has won three games at home and four on the road during the streak.

POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo ranks first in the MAC in league play with a 79.3 FT% after shooting 69.0% at the charity stripe in its non-conference schedule.
•  Toledo's seven home games played before Tuesday are fewer than any other program in the MAC.
•  The Rockets are 6-5 on the road and one of three MAC teams with a winning road record, joining Kent State (5-3) and Akron (5-3).
•  Sophomore Sonny Wilson earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team last year and leads UT with 15.5 ppg. He ranks seventh in the MAC with 15.5 ppg and ranks first among guards in the MAC and sixth overall with a 52.7 FG%.
•  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. In MAC play, he ranks second with 9.1 rpg and 3.8 offensive rpg.
•  Sophomore Sam Lewis ranks 10th in the MAC with 14.8 ppg and has four 20-point outings this season, including a career-high 23 points vs. Northern Illinois (Feb. 1). He also registered back-to-back double-doubles with 13 points and a career-best 11 boards at Purdue (Dec. 29) and 14 points and 10 rebounds at WMU (Jan. 4).
•  Sophomore Bryce Ford leads the MAC with a 45.3 3PTFG% and has emerged as another perimeter scoring threat after joining the Rockets' starting lineup at the start of the conference season. Ford has six double-digit outings in league play - a career-high 18 points vs. EMU, 15 at Ohio, 14 vs. NIU, 12 at Ball State and Bowling Green, and 10 vs. CMU. In MAC play, he is averaging 10.7 ppg with a 53.3 FG% and a 50.0 3PTFG% (14-of-28).
•  Senior transfer Isaiah Adams is averaging 12.9 ppg in his last seven games. He leads UT with 1.3 spg and is averaging 10.7 ppg and 3.3 apg. Adams started 25 of 26 games last year for Buffalo and was the Bulls' second-leading scorer with 12.8 ppg.
•  Junior Seth Hubbard is the Rockets' top scorer off the bench with 8.2 ppg and tallied 15 points along with a season-best eight rebounds and five assists at Ohio (Jan. 28).
•  The Rockets have the top three free-throw shooters in MAC play with Adams ranking first at 95.5% (21-of-22) followed by Hubbard (91.7) and Ford (90.0).
 
ON THE HORIZON
The Rockets will conclude their three-game homestand with a MAC-Sun Belt Challenge matchup vs. James Madison (14-9) on Saturday, Feb. 8.