Tuesday, March 3
Oxford, Ohio
7:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
16-14,10-7MAC
72
at
74
Miami
30-0,17-0MAC
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Toledo
35
37
72
Miami (OH)
40
34
74
Team Stats
UT
Miami
FG%
.478
.500
3FG%
.286
.375
FT%
1.000
.571
RB
35
31
TO
10
15
STL
13
9
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. scored a game-high 21 points in Toledo's 74-72 loss at No. 19 Miami.
Photo by: Will Turner
Rockets Fight to the End in 74-72 Loss at No. 19 Miami
3/3/2026 10:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Toledo nearly hands unbeaten RedHawks first defeat of season
OXFORD, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team nearly handed No. 19 Miami its first loss of the season before a sold-out crowd in Millett Hall on Tuesday night, but fell just short in a tightly-contested 74–72 decision to the RedHawks. The Rockets dropped to 16–14 overall and 10–7 in Mid-American Conference play, while the RedHawks improved to a perfect 30–0 (17–0 MAC).
Toledo had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, after Miami's Brant Byers missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12.3 seconds left, but was unable to get a shot off.
Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. led UT with a game-high 21 points and four steals, with junior Sonny Wilson tallying 13 points, a team-best six assists and three thefts. Sophomore Mynor Strong also was in double digits, finishing with 10 points.
Senior Peter Suder topped Miami with 19 points, four assists and three steals.
Toledo out-rebounded the RedHawks by a 35-31 margin, with sophomore Jaylan Ouwinga leading the way with seven boards.
The Rockets fell behind by 13 points in the first half before Will James Jr.'s layup capped a 12-0 run to make the score 31-30 just under four minutes before halftime.
Toledo then cut its deficit to a single point on three occasions in the second half but could never take the lead. Blyden's jumper with 1:01 to play brought UT within 72-70, and James's layup with 24.4 seconds left accounted for the final margin of victory.
QUOTING HEAD COACH TOD KOWALCZYK
"It was an unbelievable game. We kept putting pressure on them and cut it to two late but couldn't tie it up. I love this team with our fight and our attitude. Our bench keeps getting stronger with Jaylan Ouwinga and Will James Jr. really stepping up tonight. We'll regroup from this with a tough game against Buffalo coming up on Friday night."
TOP PERFORMERS
Toledo will host Buffalo (17-13, 7-10 MAC) on Friday, March 6, with a Senior Night ceremony being held following the contest. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
Toledo had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, after Miami's Brant Byers missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12.3 seconds left, but was unable to get a shot off.
Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. led UT with a game-high 21 points and four steals, with junior Sonny Wilson tallying 13 points, a team-best six assists and three thefts. Sophomore Mynor Strong also was in double digits, finishing with 10 points.
Senior Peter Suder topped Miami with 19 points, four assists and three steals.
Toledo out-rebounded the RedHawks by a 35-31 margin, with sophomore Jaylan Ouwinga leading the way with seven boards.
The Rockets fell behind by 13 points in the first half before Will James Jr.'s layup capped a 12-0 run to make the score 31-30 just under four minutes before halftime.
Toledo then cut its deficit to a single point on three occasions in the second half but could never take the lead. Blyden's jumper with 1:01 to play brought UT within 72-70, and James's layup with 24.4 seconds left accounted for the final margin of victory.
QUOTING HEAD COACH TOD KOWALCZYK
"It was an unbelievable game. We kept putting pressure on them and cut it to two late but couldn't tie it up. I love this team with our fight and our attitude. Our bench keeps getting stronger with Jaylan Ouwinga and Will James Jr. really stepping up tonight. We'll regroup from this with a tough game against Buffalo coming up on Friday night."
TOP PERFORMERS
- Leroy Blyden Jr.: 21 pts., 4 stl.
- Sonny Wilson 13 pts., 6 asst.
- Mynor Strong: 10 pts, 4 reb.
- Field-Goal %: Toledo 47.8%, Miami 50.0%
- Three-Point FG%: Toledo 6-21 (28.6%), Miami 12-32 (37.5%)
- Free Throws: Toledo 2-2 (100.0%), Miami 8-14 (57.1%)
- Rebounds: Toledo 35, Miami 31
- Assists/Turnovers: Toledo 14/9, Miami 12/15
Toledo will host Buffalo (17-13, 7-10 MAC) on Friday, March 6, with a Senior Night ceremony being held following the contest. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
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