Toledo’s road losing streaks are finally over.

After ending its 47-game losing streak earlier this season, the Rockets led from start to finish on Jan. 25 in a 63-61 victory over Miami (OH), their first win in Oxford since 2000. The victory ended a 30-game road losing streak in Mid-American Conference play dating back to March 2008 and is UT’s first regulation victory on the road since Feb. 2007, a streak of 39 games.

The Rockets (10-10, 2-4 MAC) have struggled this season in games decided by three points or less, losing six of seven entering the game against Miami (5-13, 1-5). Toledo’s nine-point lead with 4:46 remaining quickly evaporated but UT still managed to hold off the RedHawks for the two-point win.

“We had a great 40-minute effort tonight,” said UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk, who picked up his 150th career victory. “We’ve been through so much with six losses on our final possession. We’re a young team that earned this win with some defensive stops down the stretch.”

Rian Pearson led the Rockets with his fifth double-double of the season. The sophomore guard scored a game-high 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting with 10 rebounds.

Pearson

“Rian’s a tough player who can do a lot of things out on the floor,” Kowalczyk said. “He had a great game, but what I was most happy about tonight was how he communicated and got other players involved.”

Junior guard Curtis Dennis (7 of 10) scored 17 points off the bench and added four steals while classmate Matt Smith (3 of 6) recorded nine points and six rebounds.

A trio of Toledo’s starting guards struggled to score against the RedHawks. Juice Brown, Dominique Buckley and Reese Holliday combined for nine points on 4-of-18 shooting.

Miami senior forward Julian Mavunga, who entered the game averaging a league-high 17.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, led the RedHawk attack with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Toledo broke the game open early scoring the first eight points of the contest. The Rockets led by as many as 14 as they went into the break with a 33-27 advantage.

Miami scored the first six points of the half to tie the game at 33, but UT scored the next eight points to regain control of the contest. Up nine points with 4:46 remaining, the RedHawks closed gap to 58-56 with just over two minutes remaining. Dennis hit a triple with a minute left and Miami could get no closer than two as UT prevailed 63-61.

The Rockets return to Savage Arena on Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. when they take on Kent State (12-6, 2-3).

Tags: Rian Person, Rocket basketball, Tod Kowalczyk, University of Toledo

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 6:24 am and is filed under College Football, Rocket Football, Sports.
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