The Mid-American Conference’s best teams have taken their shot at Toledo in back-to-back games. The Rockets won both by double digits, a combined 29 points.
Buffalo was the latest victim, suffering a brutal offensive performance in an 86-75 loss at Savage Arena on Tuesday. UT limited the Bulls to 37 percent shooting, their second-lowest output of the season.
"We’re the No. 1 team in the MAC, so we’re the hunted ones,” said Ra’Heim Moss, who had 12 points, a career-high six assists, and two steals. “We have to come out every night and perform to our best ability.”
The first half wasn’t always aesthetically pleasing — the teams were tied at 41 at halftime — but the second half was a 20-minute masterpiece for Toledo, which was 17-of-27 shooting, only turned the ball over five times, scored 11 points off Buffalo’s turnovers, and held the Bulls to 35 percent shooting.
The Rockets (16-4, 8-1) used a 17-3 run midway through the second half to pull away, forcing Buffalo (10-7, 4-3) to miss seven straight shots while holding the Bulls scoreless for more than four minutes.
“Our defense probably doesn’t get enough credit over time,” Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “Maybe it’s because our offense has been so good [and] people look at me like an offensive guy. How we recruit, we like to have guys who can pass and shoot, and sometimes you sacrifice a little bit on the defensive end. This year’s team has not sacrificed.”
Late in the first half, J.T. Shumate took his position in the lane as Buffalo’s Jeenathan Williams barreled toward the basket. An official along the baseline called a block on what clearly looked like a charge, sending Kowalczyk to his knees in disbelief on the Toledo bench.
He might have been praying. Whatever Kowalczyk did, it sparked his team. A game-high seven-point deficit turned into a lead after Toledo rattled off an 11-2 run. No longer were the Rockets in a precarious position, lingering near the Bulls until striking with another flurry of offense in the second half.
“We knew we didn’t play that great in the first half, so we needed to pick up the energy,” said Ryan Rollins, who scored a game-high 25 points with 11 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. “We had to create our own energy, which always starts on the defensive. We knew that was a big key for the second-half success. I think we did that, that’s how we came out with a [W].”
Shumate and Setric Millner, Jr., each had 13 points for UT, which shot better than 50 percent for the sixth time. Despite the presence of 6-foot-7 forward Josh Mballa, the most imposing post player in the MAC, Toledo scored 44 of its 86 points in the paint.
“Versatility,” Kowalczyk responded when asked how the Rockets dealt with Mballa.
Williams had 24 points, with Mballa and Ronald Segu scoring 11 apiece.
The matchup featured the MAC’s two winningest programs over the past four-plus seasons. Dating to 2017, Buffalo has won 105 games and Toledo has 102 wins. Both teams rank among the top 35 nationally during that span.
Over the past two seasons, there is one team in the MAC with a definitively better win percentage than its conference brethren: Toledo. Each night, the Rockets get everyone’s best shot.
The outcome has favored the Rockets almost every time.
“Let’s embrace it,” Kowalczyk said. “It’s fun. Mike O’Brien says we’re the Raiders. No one likes us. That’s OK. We’re not here to be friends.”
First Published January 26, 2022, 2:24 a.m.
