Toledo men fall to Detroit Mercy in 82-79 shootout

The University of Toledo men’s basketball team allowed the University of Detroit Mercy to do something Tuesday night that no visitor has done inside Savage Arena for a very long time.

The Rockets let the Titans walk out with a victory.

Toledo dropped an 82-79 decision to Detroit to conclude the Progressive Legends Classic Subregional. The loss snapped an 18-game home win streak for the Rockets.

“For us, we just try to go out there and win – whether it’s home or away – but it hurts,” said Toledo senior guard Justin Drummond. “We are so used to protecting this building. We just got to come back with a better mindset.”

A better mindset will have to start on defense, where the Rockets had no answers for Detroit senior forward Juwan Howard Jr.

The son of former NBA player Juwan Howard embarrassed UT for a game-high 28 points, finishing 3-of-6 from the three-point line and a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe to lead his team over Toledo.

“We didn’t throw a lot at him,” Drummond said. “We kind of let him get in his comfort zone and that’s when the far shots and the shots that usually aren’t supposed to go in are going in. That’s on us and it’s our defense.”

With Howard pacing Detroit, and Jon Jon and senior forward J.D. Weatherspoon leading the Rockets’ attack, the contest quickly turned into a shootout.

But nothing Toledo did was enough to trump the Titans. When Weatherspoon – who finished with a team-high 20 points – landed a two-handed dunk at just over eight minutes left in the first half, UT still trailed 22-25.

Howard padded his team’s lead over the Rockets with a trey just seconds later.

Weatherspoon brought the house to it’s feet once more with a one-handed dunk from senior guard Juice Brown, but Detroit still held a 29-34 advantage with 4:03 left in the half.

“We got caught in some scramble situations,” said UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk. “Give them credit; they found the open guy and made some big shots down the stretch.”

At the 1:36 mark, Jon Jon notched a trey to give the Rockets a 37-36 lead they would take into halftime.

Toledo’s advantage wouldn’t last a minute into the second half.

Just seconds after tip-off, Howard earned the Titans a 37-38 lead from the free throw line. Juice responded with a layup, but Detroit junior guard Anton Wilson answered with a trey to keep the visitors on top.

Wilson beat the shot clock for a second trey with just under 16 minutes left to play, giving the Titans a 47-42 lead over Toledo. Detroit’s junior guard scored all but two of his baskets in the second half, finishing with 10 points as one of four Titans in double digits.

Weatherspoon tied things up with 11:37 left on the clock, and gave Toledo a 56-55 lead from the free throw line, but Howard notched another trey to pull Detroit ahead once again.

With 5:21 remaining, Drummond put the Rockets up 65-64 with a three-pointer. Freshman guard Stuckey Mosley then padded UT’s slim lead from the free throw line before Drummond added breathing room, scoring off a fast break and adding a point from the charity stripe.

“It felt like the run was coming, especially when we got a couple stops,” Jon Jon said. “I think I had a block late and we scored a couple buckets, especially when Justin hit the three towards the end of the game, it felt like the run was coming.

“Just a couple minor mistakes toward the end that we have to clean up in practice.”

Detroit drew even with the Rockets once more, with freshman Paris Bass giving the Titans a 75-73 lead from the free throw line.

Jon Jon tied the game up at the one-minute mark, but a final Detroit trey gave the visitors the last lead needed to snap UT’s home winning streak.

“We take pride in [the streak],” Kowalczyk said. “We talk a lot about it, it’s got nothing to do with [Savage Arena] and I said that the other night. It’s got everything to do with our mentality. Our mentality was there tonight.

“We lost a heartbreaking game. It’s going to happen throughout the course of a season. We’ll bounce back.”

Toledo will have their first chance to rebound when they take on Oakland on Saturday, Nov. 29. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in Rochester.