NASSAU, Bahamas — The Bahamas isn’t just a tropical paradise.
On Monday, it doubled as a shooter’s paradise.
Toledo shot nearly 60 percent from the field, made 7 of 15 three-point attempts, and only missed six of its 31 free throws in a riveting 98-86 victory over Charlotte in the first round of the Baha Mar Nassau Championship.
“You dream of playing in that type of game when you’re a little kid watching TV,” said Toledo forward Setric Millner, Jr., who scored a career-high 27 points. “It was a shootout. Whoever got stops was going to win.”
The Rockets scored 1.508 points per possession, converting more than 70 percent of its scoring chances.
“Everyone that checked into the game played well,” UT coach Tod Kowalczyk said.
Charlotte wasn’t far behind, shooting better than 50 percent and connecting on 12 threes. But the 49ers ended the game one for their last 11 as UT’s defense forced Charlotte into contested low-percentage situations. Playing from behind, the 49ers had one three in the final 10 minutes.
The Rockets dominated the glass, outrebounding Charlotte 35-25 overall and nine to seven on offense, leading to a sizable 14-6 advantage in second-chance points.
“I thought it was an unbelievably high-level game,” Kowalczyk said. “Anybody that watched this game on TV or live and thinks there wasn’t good defense knows absolutely nothing about basketball. That was two good teams playing well, playing hard, and defending. Both teams were making tough shots.”
Toledo’s starting five scored 91 of 98 points.
Ryan Rollins scored 22 points, RayJ Dennis had 21 points and nine rebounds, and J.T. Shumate had 17 points and eight rebounds. UT scored on three of Shumate’s four offensive rebounds.
“I felt like I was locked in,” said Dennis, who played his best game as a Rocket. “I’m here to compete and win. I felt like I competed at a high level, and it showed.”
In the second half, as an 11-point Toledo lead was whittled down to two, Dennis had UT’s first field goal in over four minutes, a clutch three that reinstated a two-possession lead.
“His pace of play tonight was really good,” Kowalczyk said.
There were early hints that Toledo and Charlotte were going to put on an offensive clinic. UT started the game by making five of its first six shots and trailed by two because of Charlotte’s prolific three-point shooting.
Midway through the first half, the teams’ shooting percentages resembled the temperatures outside -- Charlotte was 79 percent and Toledo was 76 percent. Just then, the Rockets went full throttle on defense, ending the half on a 19-6 run, good for a 52-47 halftime lead, limiting the 49ers to two points over the final two minutes.
In the last five minutes of the first and second halves — critical moments that are coaching linchpins — Toledo outscored Charlotte 28-12 and had zero turnovers.
“That’s winning basketball,” Kowalczyk said. “Charlotte is a good team. At the end of the season, that’s going to look like a really good win.”
The breakout performance by Millner was something he and Toledo were waiting for, as the junior forward struggled in the first three games. He averaged 12.9 points and reached double figures in 25 of 30 games last season, but had 10, nine, and eight against Valparaiso, Detroit, and Oakland, shooting 32 percent and making just one of six three-pointers.
Prior to tip off Monday, associate head coach Jeff Massey made a prophetic statement in the Toledo locker room: Seth is due.
“He’s been pressing too much,” Kowalczyk said. “He’s such a good player. He just needs to let the game come to him and do what he does best. I think he was trying to do some things he shouldn’t be doing. But he’s a heck of a player. Couldn’t be happier with him.”
Millner made the first shot of the game and drained a three a short while later. After the second shot, he knew it was his day.
“I feel like I started the season off a little slow and was forcing a lot,” Millner said. “I let this game come to me, and it just fell in my hands.”
First Published November 22, 2021, 7:10 p.m.
