TOLEDO, Ohio – Sophomore Sam Lewis scored a team-high 22 points and the Toledo men's basketball team rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to pull out a 72-69 victory over James Madison in a MAC-Sun Belt Challenge game on Saturday afternoon in Savage Arena.

The victory extended the Rockets' winning streak to five games and snapped the Dukes' five-game winning streak. The game included nine lead changes in the second half, with Toledo (15-8) taking its first lead early in the second half. James Madison (15-10) was red-hot in the first half, converting 68.0% of its shots and 7-of-11 behind the arc. The Rockets offset JMU's shooting prowess by committing a season-low three turnovers and holding a 38-27 rebounding advantage.

QUOTING HEAD COACH TOD KOWALCZYK
"Our start to the game was awful. We were not ready to play, and they took the fight to us. We started turning things around at the 10-minute mark of the first half when we strung some stops together. James Madison is a really good team and they have three great guards that are hard to defend. We played our hearts out, won for our league and kept our momentum going."

GAME RECAP

• First Half: James Madison started strong and a 15-4 run gave the Dukes a 32-16 lead with 9:06 left in the half. Toledo rallied and ended the half with a 7-2 spurt to trail by a 41-38 margin at intermission. Sam Lewis and Sonny Wilson led UT in the first half with 12 and 10 points, respectively. 
• Second Half: Toledo trailed 67-63 with 5:34 left and held JMU to two points the rest of the game. Sam Lewis' layup gave Toledo a 70-67 lead with 55 seconds left. Bryce Ford then hit two free throws with seven seconds remaining for the final margin of victory.

KEY PERFORMERS

• Sam Lewis: 22 points (10-14 FG, 2-3 3PT), 5 rebounds
• Sonny Wilson: 16 points (7-15 FG, 2-2 3PT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists
• Isaiah Adams: 11 points (4-11 FG), 7 rebounds, 2 assists

TEAM STATS
James Madison: FG: 27-53 (50.9%); 3PT: 13-24 (54.2%); FT: 2-5 (40.0%); Rebounds: 27 (4 offensive, 23 defensive); Assists: 14; Turnovers: 9
Toledo: FG: 29-62 (46.8%); 3PT: 5-12 (41.7%); FT: 9-14 (64.3%); Rebounds: 38 (14 offensive, 24 defensive); Assists: 10; Turnovers: 3

ROCKET ROUNDUP

• Toledo has matched its season-high winning streak of five games, previously set in November.
• The Rockets have out-rebounded their opponent by at least seven boards in each of their last five contests for an average of 10.2 rpg.
• Toledo is 6-0 in games decided by four points or less.
• The Rockets won for just the second time in 10 games when trailing with five minutes remaining.
• Sam Lewis shot 10-of-14 from the field now has a team-high five 20-point outings.
• Sonny Wilson has scored 15 or more points in seven straight games and is 6-of-8 from three-point range in his last five contests.

UP NEXT
Toledo will be on the road next week for matchups at Miami (18-5, 9-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 15.