In the regular season finale, Toledo saved its best for last.

Facing this year’s Mid-American Conference West Division Champions, the Rockets entered postseason play with momentum as UT battered Eastern Michigan 76-51 in Savage Arena.

Curtis Dennis, photo by Nick Kneer

“This was certainly a very good win for us,” UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “I thought we guarded well and our zone offense tonight was very efficient. I thought it was a complete team effort and a great way to end the regular season. I am looking forward to the postseason on Monday night.”

The Rockets came near obtaining a share of the MAC West, but a loss against last place Northern Illinois on Feb. 29 eliminated them from contention. Even with a win, however, UT would have fell short as Eastern Michigan locked up the division with a buzzer beater over Western Michigan.

Still, the loss to the Huskies frustrated a Toledo team that looked like it had turned the corner, entering the game on a four-game winning streak.

“It was a setback, especially when you are on a good streak and you lose to a team you are supposed to beat,” junior guard Curtis Dennis said. “It’s a setback but that’s where maturing and mental toughness come in. You can’t let that game distract you from the big picture.”

The Rocket team that showed up against Eastern Michigan, however, looked nothing like the one that fell to four-win NIU. Toledo led by as many as 28 over the MAC West Champs and cruised to the No. 7 seed in the MAC Tournament.

“I thought we have been playing as good as anybody in our league in the whole month of February since we started playing the MAC East,” Kowalczyk said. “I think we have been playing as good as anybody in the league excluding one game where we just didn’t perform at Northern Illinois. I’m disappointed in that game but we bounced back and I thought we played very well tonight.”

Leading the Rockets offensively was the two-headed attack of sophomore Rian Pearson and Dennis. The pair combined for 48 points, nearly outscoring the Eagles’ total of 51.

Dennis received his first start of the season and scored 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds. Kowalczyk chose to start him in place of sophomore center Richard Wonnell, stating that “he wanted to send Rich a message that he has got to play better.”

“[Dennis] is a good shooter,” Kowalczyk said. “We found him ways to get him shots against the zone and he made them.”

Pearson scored 27 points and also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. It was his last chance to make his case for MAC Player of the Year, as the sophomore finished the year averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Junior guard Dominique Buckley (3 of 8) scored in double figures with 11 and recorded five assists while reigning back-to-back MAC West Player of the Week Juice Brown scored three points, missing all six of his shots and dishing out six assists.

With the victory, the Rockets will host Miami (OH) in the first round of the MAC Tournament at 7 p.m. March 5. Tickets are on sale at the Savage Arena ticket office or by calling (419) 530-4653 (GOLD) from 12 to 3 p.m. March 4 and all hours on game day.

“They have the best player in the league in my opinion in Julian Mavunga,” Kowalczyk said. “He’s really good. It’s a talented team with a lot of pieces.”

Tags: Curtis Dennis, Dominique Buckley, Eastern Michigan, Juice Brown, MAC Tournament, Mid-American Conference, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Tod Kowalczyk, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2012 at 10:24 am and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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With a shot at sharing the Mid-American Conference West Division Championship on the line, Toledo squandered an eight point second half lead and lost at last place Northern Illinois on Feb. 29.

Tod Kowalczyk, photo by Nick Kneer

In the end, Eastern Michigan (14-16, 9-6 MAC) clinched the MAC West with a last-second game winner over Western Michigan, which would have ended UT’s chances at the division. Still, the loss to the Huskies (4-24, 3-12) broke Toledo’s (15-15, 6-9) five-game winning streak and added another blown lead to the Rockets’ resume.

Despite the loss, Toledo earned a home game in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Its opponent will be either Miami (OH) or Ball State at 7 p.m. March 5, depending on the outcome of this weekend’s games. Tickets will be on sale starting at 10 a.m. March 1 at the UT Ticket Office.

Toledo junior guard Dominique Buckley led the way for the Rockets with a game-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Reigning back-to-back MAC West Player of the Week Juice Brown (4 of 15) scored 12 points, and league Player of the Year candidate Rian Pearson (3 of 7) recorded eight points and five rebounds.

Abdel Nader led the Huskies with 12 points while Aksel Bolin chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds. Nader is the lone NIU player who is scoring over six points per game this season.

After trailing at halftime, the Rockets appeared to take control in the second half, leading by as many as eight with 7:27 remaining at 57-49. Northern Illinois, however, scored six straight points to get back into it and took a 62-61 lead at 3:32 that it wouldn’t give up.

Toledo had a chance to tie the game at 64 but both Brown and junior guard Curtis Dennis missed on three-point attempts. UT forced a shot-clock violation to get the ball back with 7.8 seconds remaining but didn’t get a shot off before time expired as the Huskies prevailed.

With the loss and Eastern Michigan’s win, the March 3 season finale between the two schools lost a bit of drama. Still, Toledo will be looking to clinch the No. 7 seed in the MAC Tournament and get some momentum coming back into the game when the Rockets host EMU at 2 p.m. in Savage Arena.

Tags: Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, MAC Tournament, Mid-American Conference, Northern Illinois, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2012 at 9:06 am and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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With its hopes of sharing a Mid-American Conference West Division Championship still intact, Toledo travels to DeKalb to face Northern Illinois at 8 p.m. Feb. 29.

The Rockets (15-14, 6-8 MAC) have surged into second place in the MAC West riding a five-game winning streak and winning six of seven. Their hopes, however, still ride on first-place Eastern Michigan (13-16, 8-6) losing on Feb. 29 to Western Michigan, setting up a matchup between Toledo and EMU on March 3 in Savage Arena.

Juice Brown, photo by Nick Kneer

The Rockets’ winning streak has also put them in position to host a game in the upcoming MAC Tournament. UT needs just one win to clinch hosting a first-round matchup on March 5.

Before Toledo can take on the Eagles, however, they must face Northern Illinois on the road. The Huskies have struggled mightily in 2012, posting a 3-24 record, including a 2-12 mark in league play.

The Rockets’ recent surge has been propelled by sophomore Rian Pearson and freshman Juice Brown, who have dominated the MAC West Division Player of the Week awards the last five weeks. Pearson won the award three consecutive weeks before giving way to Brown the last two.

Pearson is a MAC Player of the Year candidate, ranking second in the MAC in scoring (16.3), third in rebounds (8.3) and eighth in steals (1.6). Brown ranks fifth in the nation in assists by a freshman and is fourth in the league in assists per game (5), eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and 15th in points (12.2).

At 15 wins this season, Toledo has matched its win total from the last three years combined. Along with Pearson and Brown, three other Rockets are scoring 9 or more points per game including Curtis Dennis (12.7), Dominique Buckley (9.9) and Matt Smith (9). Meanwhile, the Huskies have just one player scoring over six points per contest in freshman guard Abdel Nader (10.5 ppg) after dismissing their leading scorer Tim Toler on Jan. 26 for violating team rules.

Tags: Curtis Dennis, Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, matt smith, Mid-American Conference, Northern Illinois, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 at 7:47 pm and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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Toledo has done it again.

For the fifth straight week, a member of the Rockets has been named as the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week.

Juice Brown, photo by Jason Mack

Freshman point guard Juice Brown earned the league’s Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27, his second consecutive week winning the award.

Brown helped guide Toledo (15-14, 6-8 MAC) to two wins last week over division foes Central Michigan and Western Michigan, moving the Rockets into second place in the West. Brown averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in the victories, including a career-high 29 points over the Chippewas.

During the season, Brown leads all freshmen in the conference with 12.2 points per game. He is also fourth in the MAC in assists, averaging five per contest.

Sophomore guard Rian Pearson won the award before Brown the three previous weeks. Junior guard Dominique Buckley has also won the award once this season.

Brown will try to extend his streak this week as the Rockets trail Eastern Michigan by two games for the MAC West lead with just two games remaining. Toledo takes on last-place Northern Illinois (3-24, 2-12) on Feb. 29 in Dekalb before battling EMU on March 3 in the season finale at Savage Arena. UT must win out and hope the Eagles lose to Western Michigan on Feb. 29 to share the MAC West crown.

Tags: Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, MAC Player of the Week, Mid-American Conference, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 at 10:43 am and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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The Rockets continued their run toward the Mid-American Conference West Division crown on Feb. 25 with an 83-74 victory over Western Michigan at Savage Arena. The win was UT’s fourth straight and fifth in its last six games.

With the win, Toledo (15-14, 6-8 MAC) moved into a tie for second place in the MAC West with the Broncos (12-17, 6-8), who dropped to 2-12 this year on the road. The Rockets still trail by two games to Eastern Michigan (13-16, 8-6) and will need the Eagles to lose on Feb. 29 in Kalamazoo to Western Michigan to keep their division title hopes alive before the two teams square off in the season finale on March 3.

Rian Pearson, photo by Jason Mack

“I thought that was a very gutty performance by our guys tonight,” UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “Our players stepped up and really answered the bell. For 40 minutes we played hard, smart and very good basketball, executing at both ends.”

In an effort to repeat as MAC West Division Player of the Week, freshman point guard Juice Brown (5 of 13) scored 14 points and dished out seven assists against WMU. Brown scored a career-high 29 points earlier in the week in a win over Central Michigan.

“I would say I’m playing with more confidence but I’m also playing smarter,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to get better every day.”

Junior guard Dominique Buckley (5 of 9) recorded a game-high 16 points with five assists. Sophomore guard Rian Pearson (5 of 11) scored 15 points with eight rebounds while junior forward Matt Smith (6 of 10) also had 15 points with six boards.

The Rockets held a 15-point lead in the second half but WMU narrowed the lead to 72-71 with less than three minutes remaining. Toledo, however, responded with an 11-3 run to close out the game.

“We used to give away wins [earlier this season] so now when it comes closer and closer we just try to just stay under control and get stops and rebounds,” Pearson said. “We just try to put [previous losses] behind us and just keep going.”

Toledo will look to extend its winning streak to five games when it travels to last-place Northern Illinois (3-23, 2-11) at 8 p.m. Feb. 29. The Rockets won the previous matchup 71-41 on Jan. 18 in Savage Arena.

Tags: Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, matt smith, Mid-American Conference, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Tod Kowalczyk, Western Michigan, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 9:49 am and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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After being named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for the last three weeks, Toledo’s Rian Pearson has been dethroned by his own teammate.

Julius "Juice" Brown, photo by Nick Kneer

Freshman point guard Juice Brown was earned the league’s Player of the Week honors on Feb. 20, giving the award to a Toledo player for the fourth straight week and the fifth time this season. Junior Dominique Buckley won the award on Dec. 5.

Brown averaged 11 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in two wins last week on the road at Ball State and Sam Houston State, edging out Pearson’s nine points and seven rebounds per contest. The Rockets (13-14, 4-8 MAC) are two games back of Eastern Michigan (11-16, 6-6) for the MAC West lead with four games left.

Brown is averaging 11.5 points, 5.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game this season. He leads all MAC freshmen in scoring and is fourth in the nation in assists per game from a freshman.

Toledo faces Central Michigan (8-18, 3-9) at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Savage Arena. The Chippewas won the first meeting 85-69 on Jan. 7 in Mount Pleasant.

Tags: Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, MAC West Player of the Week, rian pearson, Rockets basketball

This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 5:23 pm and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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Toledo is looking to grab its third conference win of the season when it takes on Buffalo at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 in Savage Arena.

The Rockets will be holding its second annual “Tie One On” game, featuring UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk and his coaching staff wearing bow ties during the game. Fans can purchase a $100 package featuring a ticket to the game, a UT basketball bow tie, a commemorative photo and a part in the post-game reception. Donations can be made to https://give2ut.utoledo.edu/TieOneOnReg.asp and proceeds will benefit the University of Toledo’s Dana Cancer Center in support of prostate cancer care.

Juice Brown, photo by Jason Mack

Toledo (10-12, 2-6 Mid-American Conference) will face the MAC’s top inside scoring duo in the league against Buffalo (13-6, 6-2 MAC) — forwards Javon McCrea (16.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Mitchell Watt (15.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg).

The Rockets bring four double-digit scorers into the contest led by sophomore guard Rian Pearson, who ranks third in points (17) and rebounds (8) in the MAC. Junior Curtis Dennis is averaging 12.2 points off the bench while Juice Brown and Dominique Buckley are scoring 11.3 and 10.9 points per game, respectively.

Toledo is 2-6 in games decided by three points or less but has won its most games (10) since the 2007-08 season. The Bulls have won five straight games.

Tags: Buffalo, Curtis Dennis, Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, Mid-American Conference, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Tod Kowalczyk

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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After keeping it close against perennial Mid-American Conference contender Kent State, the Rockets couldn’t keep pace in the second half, falling 77-61 at Savage Arena.

“I’m very disappointed in our second half,” Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “I thought in the first half we competed, we didn’t play great but we did a lot of good things. In the second half our turnovers just killed us.”

Rian Pearson, photo by Jason Mack

Toledo (10-11, 2-5 MAC) trailed by just four points at halftime but the Golden Flashes (14-6, 4-3) opened the half with an 11-2 run. The spurt included four breakaway layups following UT turnovers, including three on consecutive possessions. The Rockets recorded 12 of their 19 turnovers in the second half.

“That was the turning point,” KSU head coach Rob Senderoff said. “They have a really young team and our kids have been through this league before. A lot of these guys for Toledo I think they will be really good in time, if not by the end of this year, but our kids amped up the intensity level and tonight that was the difference. Getting those steals and points off turnovers was a huge difference in the game.”

“They tried to speed us up,” sophomore guard Rian Pearson said. “I thought we were being a little bit too casual. We weren’t coming to the ball. They like to shoot the gaps and that’s what they were doing.”

Pearson led the charge for the Rockets, scoring 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting with seven rebounds. Junior forward Matt Smith (5 of 7) scored 13 with seven rebounds while classmate Curtis Dennis (5 of 12) recorded 13 points and five assists off the bench.

Freshman point guard Juice Brown and junior guard Dominique Buckley, however, each had a game to forget. The duo, which averages over 22 points per game, combined to miss all 16 of its shot attempts and committed 12 turnovers. Buckley (0 for 7) had a season-low two points with two rebounds and four turnovers while Brown (0 for 9) went scoreless for the first time in his career with five assists, four rebounds and eight turnovers.

“When our starting guards go 0 for 16 with 12 turnovers, we are not winning.” Kowalczyk said. “Juice had some really good shots but he is just struggling with his confidence right now. I told him at halftime he didn’t have one bad shot. He’s a good player just struggling with his confidence. In his case I thought he competed. Dominique Buckley had his worst game as a Rocket all the way around.”

The Rockets started strong with six straight points but Kent State scored 10 unanswered in the midst of a 20-5 run to take a 20-11 lead. Toledo fought back, and a Dennis alley-oop to Pearson tied it at 24 with 4:30 left but the Golden Flashes took the lead into the half at 35-31.

The 11-2 second-half run by Kent State extended the lead to 13 as the Rockets would get no closer than 10 for the remainder of the game. KSU led by as many as 20, cruising to a 77-61 victory.

The Rockets’ schedule gets no easier as they travel to Akron to take on the MAC East Division leading Zips (13-7, 5-1) at 7 p.m. Feb. 1.

Tags: Curtis Dennis, Dominique Buckley, Juice Brown, Kent State, matt smith, rian pearson, Rockets basketball, Tod Kowalczyk

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 1:44 am and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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When the University of Toledo men’s basketball team hits the hardwood this season, it won’t just be showing off a new team.

Dominique Buckley, left, and Reese Holliday in the new uniforms.

The Rockets will be outfitted in new jerseys for the 2011 season.

“I love the way these look; they are way better than the ones last year,” said junior guard and Iowa State transfer Dominique Buckley. “The ones last year were bigger and they seemed a little plain; these are official.”

The Rockets will no longer wear gold at home as they did in 2010, they will go back to white. The jerseys also use Nike’s Dri-FIT fabric, which UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk described as “the lightest jersey that Nike has ever made.”

“The new jerseys are a big upgrade from last year,” said sophomore forward Reese Holliday, one of only two returning scholarship players, along with Delino Dear. “They are Dri-FIT jerseys like the major schools wear so we will look elite this year.”

The process of changing to new jerseys started with Kowalczyk. The second-year coach at Toledo has a personal contract with Nike and used the website NikeTeam.com to build the uniforms from scratch.

“Nike has been very, very good to us, so everything we buy is Nike,”  Kowalczyk said. “Ultimately, it’s the players’ decision to pick the jerseys that they feel the most comfortable in.”

“I appreciate the coaches doing this for us, getting us better jerseys than last year,” Holliday said. “New jerseys, new look, new team.”

Tags: Dominique Buckley, Nike, Nike Dri-FIT, Reese Holliday, Rockets basketball, Tod Kowalczyk, University of Toledo

This entry was posted on Friday, October 14th, 2011 at 3:13 pm and is filed under Rocket Basketball, Sports.
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