Frigid temperatures outside did not translate to cold shooting inside Savage Arena.
For Toledo, anyway.
The Rockets started Wednesday’s game against Oakland nine of 11 from the field, including four of six from 3-point range, in building a 23-8 lead that grew to 53-28 and, finally, 112-90 when EJ Farmer dribbled out the final seconds in UT’s third consecutive victory to open the season.
“I was worried about this game because I know how good [Oakland coach Greg] Kampe is,” Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “They have a hell of a zone, and they have some really tough guys to defend.”
Toledo is 3-0 for the first time since 2017-18 when it fell to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game.
The Rockets’ 112 points tied for the eighth-most in program history. Through three games, UT is averaging 96.6 points, and the offensive fireworks have come against quality mid-majors.
Wednesday night acted as a 40-minute infomercial for Kowalczyk’s roster construction and the ability to identify players who fit his system, plug them in, and press play.
JT Shumate, Setric Millner, Jr., RayJ Dennis, Dante Maddox, Jr., and Tyler Cochran — all transfers that Kowalczyk recognized as difference makers — combined for 100 points, 30 rebounds, 20 assists, four steals, three blocked shots, and just seven turnovers.
“We like skilled guys. We like smart players. We like good teammates,” Kowalczyk said. “The transfer portal has been great to us. If you really want to go to a great offensive system and be utilized the right way to your strengths, you’d be crazy not to come to Toledo with what we’ve done in the past and what we’re doing right now.”
Shumate had a career-high-tying 33 points on efficient 15-of-21 shooting.
Millner had 21 points and eight rebounds, Maddox had 20 points and went four of six from 3, and Cochran (nine points, 10 rebounds) came up one point shy of a double-double.
“The flow of the game was just crazy for us,” Shumate said. “It just felt like we weren’t missing a whole lot. We were crashing the offensive boards and a lot of shots were going in.”
Toledo shot 62.5 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from 3, and assisted on 28 of 45 baskets. The Rockets only turned the ball over nine times.
The 28 assists are tied for the fifth most in a single game.
“We have a saying that when we’re unselfish, we’re unguardable,” Kowalczyk said.
The additions of Maddox and Cochran this season have been particularly notable through three games, as their presence off the bench provides the Rockets with a deep bench and a rotation of nine players that doesn’t have a weak lineup.
“Coming in and just meeting K and just watching and seeing the success he’s had with guards in the past, you get a confidence,” Maddox said. “It’s a great place to be for a basketball player. I consider him to be an offensive guru, to say the least. Just being able to make shots, shoot the good ones, and play with confidence. He preaches to me all the time to stay aggressive and be smart.”
In the second half, Oakland trimmed 13 points off UT’s one-time 24-point advantage, cutting the score to 79-68. But the Rockets rattled off 10 straight points in less than two minutes to reinstate a 20-plus-point cushion.
The Golden Grizzles never got closer than 14 points in the final seven minutes. They shot just over 40 percent for the game and were 13 of 34 from beyond the arc.
Trey Townsend had 20 points, connecting on six of seven 3s.
At halftime, Toledo led 57-37. The Rockets shot a supernatural 75.8 percent from the field and were six of 10 from long range. They made their last 11 field-goal attempts.
Remarkably, UT was just one of six from the free-throw line, producing a bizarre box score.
Any player in the country would have taken Shumate’s first-half stats for a full game: 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
Dennis and Millner’s first-half lines were equally impressive. Dennis, UT’s unflappable floor general, had 12 points and eight assists, while Millner had 14 points.
Oakland, meanwhile, misfired on 16 of its first 20 shots, eight of which were 3s.
Battling for respect won’t be the usual uphill climb this season for Toledo, which has 10 points in the coaches poll and eight in the AP top 25 as voters have acknowledged the Rockets’ past and current success.
“I won’t be happy until we crack those polls,” Kowalczyk said.
It could happen sooner rather than later.
First Published November 17, 2022, 3:04 a.m.
