University of Toledo
0-1,0-0MAC
Arkansas State
1-0,0-0Sun Belt
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 35 | 35 | 70 |
| Arkansas St. | 36 | 35 | 71 |
11/2/2026 11:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mynor Strong ties career high with 18 points; Angel Montas Jr. and Jaylan Ouwinga register double-doubles
JONESBORO, Ark. – Mynor Strong tied his career high with 18 points and Jaylan Ouwinga and Angel Montas Jr. both posted double-doubles, but the Toledo men's basketball team came up just short in its season opener at First National Bank Arena on Monday night in a 71-70 setback to preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite Arkansas State in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge
Ouwinga tallied a career-high 16 points and 14 rebounds in the contest, while Montas contributed 16 points and 10 boards off the bench in his first game as a Rocket. Sean Jones also shined in his Toledo debut, dishing out a career-high nine assists with just two turnovers in 33 minutes.
Strong tallied a career-high four steals as well to spearhead a Rocket defensive effort that limited ASU to a 35.7 field-goal percentage. Toledo shot 39.7% from the field.
Toledo also controlled the boards by a 50-46 margin.
The Red Wolves were 10-of-23 from the free-throw line, compared to the Rockets' 6-of-8 totals.
Toledo trailed 36-35 at halftime before the two teams battled through a closely contested second half. The lead changed hands three times in the final three minutes, with Montas' layup putting the Rockets in front 68-67 with 1:36 remaining.
Ouwinga's baseline jumper then evened the contest at 70-70 with 30 seconds left after ASU had regained the lead.
Tameron Ferguson hit a free throw with four seconds left to give the Red Wolves the victory. He finished with a game-high 20 points.
QUOUTING HEAD COACH TOD KOWALCZYK
“It was a really physical game against a very good team. I’m proud of our guys. Jaylan Ouwinga had a big night and Angel Montas came up big off the bench for us. We made some big plays down the stretch. We were right there. We did a great job of battling back, but our offense put us in that spot because of our turnovers. I thought we did a good job defensively, but they had some pick-sixes that really hurt. We have a very tough schedule to open the season. We just need to stay together and stay positive. Michigan State will be a huge challenge for us on Thursday night. Then we have to turn around and go play another good team on Saturday at Marshall.”
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mynor Strong: Career-high tying 18 pts.
- Jaylan Ouwinga: Career-high 16 pts., 14 reb.
- Sean Jones: Career-high 9 asst.
- Angel Montas Jr.: 16 pts., 10 reb.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Field-Goal %: Toledo 39.7%, Arkansas State 35.7%
- Three-Point FG%: Toledo 6-27 (22.2%), Arkansas State 11-37 (29.7%)
- Free Throws: Toledo 6-8 (75.0%), Arkansas State 10-23 (43.5%)
- Rebounds: Toledo 50, Arkansas State 46
- Assists/Turnovers: Toledo 21/16, Arkansas State 15/10
UP NEXT
Toledo will remain on the road to face No. 6 Michigan State (1-0) in East Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, Nov. 5. Tip-off time from the Breslin Center is 8 p.m. on the NBC Sports Network and Peacock.
