VALPARAISO, Ind. — Tod Kowalczyk wasn’t interested in the details, and didn’t want to discuss them.

Valparaiso lost both of its exhibition games to high-level Division II teams, perhaps signaling a massive rebuilding effort for the Beacons, who were predicted to finish seventh in the 10-team Missouri Valley Conference.

The Toledo coach was adamant that Valpo had talent and would prove as much on Tuesday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

He was right.

The Rockets needed all 69 of their points in a down-to-the-wire 69-61 win to open the season.

“Hey, when you win on the road against a Missouri Valley team in the first game of the year, it’s a heck of a win,” Kowalczyk said.

UT ended the game on a 9-0 run, and held Valpo scoreless the final 3:32.

“In the end, we were able to get it done and get enough stops,” junior forward J.T. Shumate said.

Shumate made the first basket of the season, a 3-pointer 13 seconds into the game, and he didn’t stop scoring points until the final buzzer. He had Toledo’s first 10 points, 15 in the first half, and 20 for the game. None were more important than the three that came with 1:06 left.

Shumate drilled a 3 in front of the Rockets’ bench to turn a three-point lead into a six-point lead, sending a jolt of enthusiasm through the couple dozen UT fans in attendance.

“Huge shot,” Kowalczyk said. “But he didn’t make the play — he made the shot. Who made the play was RayJ Dennis setting a nice flare screen for him. We had Elijah [Wilson] in one corner and J.T. in the other, our two best shooters. It’s pick your poison.”

Too often on Tuesday, Valpo decided that Shumate would be the toxin, and he consistently made them pay, shooting 4-of-6 from long range.

“I felt like there were a lot of opportunities for me early in the game,” said Shumate, who had nine rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, and two steals. “Other guys were getting open. I think we’re a team that just takes what comes to us.”

Toledo had a 10-2 advantage before Valpo took its first lead, 13-12, after an 11-2 run that saw the Beacons make five of six field goals. The Rockets built a 29-19 lead, only to have Valpo score 10 consecutive points, with six from 6-foot-8 Michigan State transfer Thomas Kithier.

Toledo led 35-33 at the half.

A majority of the second half was played within a one-possession score until UT’s late spark. Valpo only led for 1:56 all night.

Ryan Rollins had 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, scoring seven points in the final 5:20. He was a game-high plus-13.

Setric Millner, Jr., had 10 points, and Dennis, a Boise State transfer, had seven points, six rebounds, four assists, and one turnover in his UT debut.

Toledo shot 43.6 percent from the field and made just six 3s. The Rockets outrebounded Valpo 38-28, and had a 9-5 offensive rebound advantage.

“We weren’t our best at all,” Rollins said, “but we pulled it out. That’s all that matters. We got the win.”

With a long, athletic lineup — and a deep bench — Kowalczyk chose to apply pressure early in the first half, using a press and energetic, active defense that kept Valpo off balance for a while until the Beacons started feeding the ball to Kithier, who had a team-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

The Beacons shot 43.3 percent and made just 5 of 23 3-point attempts. They were without leading scorer Ben Krikke (ankle), who averaged 12.3 points per game last season and was an All-Missouri Valley preseason selection.

“Defensively, we have a lot of things to work on,” Kowalczyk said. “We went for way too many shot fakes. Our defensive discipline was not very good. Our transition defense getting back to gap help was not very good. Offensively, we didn’t trust each other like we had in practice. That stuff will come.”

Toledo’s true freshman — Wilson, Kooper Jacobi, Mihai Carcoana, and E.J. Farmer — combined for 11 points, seven rebounds, and one turnover in 34 minutes. They were plus-eight.

Wilson was on the court for the final 3:32, coinciding with Toledo’s pivotal plays and Valpo’s scoring drought.

“If he keeps playing like this, the trust level goes up,” Kowalczyk said. “Freshmen need to understand you get on the floor with intangibles. It’s not easy, and he understands it more than most freshmen do. His offensive rebound putback in the second half gave me the confidence that, hey, he’s about the intangibles. It took a one-point lead to three. I was happy with how he played.”

The calendar said Nov. 9 on Tuesday, and the quality of play looked like early November. There were stretches of lackadaisical defense, disorganized offense, and an inability to look cohesive. But it wasn’t all sloppy — Shumate had several blocked shots, there were thunderous dunks, and skillful stolen passes. The teams only had 22 combined turnovers.

The Rockets’ home opener is Saturday at 7 p.m. against Detroit Mercy. They will find plenty to work on the next three days.

“I think it’ll take a couple of games [to get into a rhythm] just knowing where people are going to be in certain situations,” Shumate said. “It comes with time.”

First Published November 10, 2021, 2:07 a.m.