ESTERO, Fla. — Less than three weeks after securing a signature victory, Toledo faces a gut-check week.
The Rockets head back to Ohio on Friday after losing two of three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase. They won the finale, however, creating momentum during a strenuous but important two-game stretch.
UT hosts Richmond next Wednesday and plays at George Mason on Saturday.
“We needed to get a win under our belt, especially going into this tough stretch,” junior guard RayJ Dennis said. “Now we get back home, get a couple practices underneath us, and have a tough game against Richmond.”
What transpired from 11 a.m. until 12:47 p.m. on Wednesday at Hertz Arena was more like Toledo’s first three games. Offensive fireworks, opportunistic defense, and cohesion that any coach in the country would covet.
Losses to Missouri-Kansas City and East Carolina sandwiched between Toledo’s 3-0 start and Wednesday’s 82-69 win over Northern Kentucky are enough out of left field that it makes one wonder if it was an extreme two-game blip that won’t show itself against all season.
“This has been an awful trip for us in every way,” UT coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “Awful weather. Besides the meals we had at the Armes’ and the Chapman’s, there’s been nothing good about this trip. The hotel is still not in good shape [after Hurricane Ian]. The arena is awful.
“We played against some good teams and didn’t finish out some games, and we think we’re better than those teams. But we were also extremely close to playing for a championship. In two games, it was defensive lapses in winning time. But that’s the difference between winning and losing when you play against good competition. We have to clean that up.”
The trip started off with a flight delay for a windshield wiper, and then the Toledo-UMKC game started late due to a malfunctioning shot clock. The sun finally came out Wednesday, as if on cue, following the Rockets’ victory.
“We played two teams we should’ve beat,” sophomore guard EJ Farmer said. “We couldn’t go home 0-3. I felt like this was a game where we were all motivated to get the [win].”
Farmer played his best game of the season on the day he was removed from the starting lineup. Tyler Cochran suffered a toe injury against East Carolina that kept him out of Wednesday’s game. The rotations were impacted, and UT’s slow starters were another factor in Kowalczyk’s decision.
Apparently, it worked. Maddox had two 3-pointers in the opening minutes, spurring Toledo to a 15-0 lead, and Farmer scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting. (Maddox finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.)
“I started off hot,” said Maddox, a Cal State Fullerton transfer. “I was just trying to play in the rhythm of the game. I knew with the absence of Tyler we were going to have to step up rebounding and doing all the little things defensively. We tried to collectively pick up that slack. It was an adjustment, but I enjoyed it. If my name is called again, I’ll try my hardest to be ready.”
Cochran’s injury is day-to-day, but he was using a scooter to get around. Asked how long he expects to stay with the Maddox in the starting lineup, Kowalczyk responded matter-of-factly, “It’s going to stick for now. They both played well, so they obviously handled it really good. When you lose two games in a row, I’m not going to worry about feelings, that’s for sure.”
Andre Lorentsson played 24 minutes, 10 more than his previous high this season, scoring seven points and grabbing two rebounds. His defense was crucial down the stretch.
“TC went down and we had some guys step up and play some great minutes,” senior forward Setric Millner, Jr., said.
Early adversity has been nonexistent the past couple of seasons, as the Rockets have played well from start to finish. A repeat looked inevitable in 2022-23 until Toledo came to southwest Florida.
The response on Wednesday was greeted warmly by the coaching staff, although they would have liked a similar sense of urgency the previous day. Now their objective is to channel the same enthusiasm and direct it toward Richmond and George Mason.
“Adversity struck us and Tyler went down. It struck us early and struck us hard,” Maddox said. “To be able to come out on this third day and come together and have EJ step up and Dre and AJ, everybody contributed a little bit more. It just shows that when we’re together, we can be a really good team.”
Toledo already knew that. Wednesday offered more proof. And going forward, there won’t be any excuses for straying from their winning formula.
“Hey, we have a very good team,” Kowalczyk said. “But that’s why they play the games. Other teams have good players, too. That’s been proven on this trip. We have to be ready to play every minute of every game.”
First Published November 23, 2022, 8:05 p.m.
