Toledo suffers big loss to Kent State

The University of Toledo men’s basketball team failed to keep the momentum going after defeating Bowling Green State University Tuesday, as they were destroyed by Kent State University 85-61 on the road on Saturday. The Rockets are now 10-9 and 1-6 in road games this season.

The Golden Flashes shot an impressive 58 percent from the field, while limiting UT to just 37 percent shooting, including a season-low 30 percent in the first half. Kent State also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Rockets by twelve.

“I thought the story of the game was the middle of the first half,” said head coach Tod Kowlaczyk. “We just couldn’t score and it sucked the life out of us.”

Toledo was led by fourth-year forward Steve Taylor Jr. with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Also contributing to the UT offense was fourth-year guard Jonathan Williams with 15 points and second-year forward Nate Navigato who added ten points.

Fourth-year forward Jimmy Hall scored a game-high 27 points to lead Kent State, and fourth-year guard Deon Edwin tallied 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

“We let their crowd get to us a little bit,” said Taylor Jr. “They had a better night.”

The game was close early, with six lead changes early on. UT was getting scoring from everywhere as most of the scoring for the Golden Flashes came from Hall and Edwin in the first 10 minutes.

KSU blew the game open in the first half with a run that spanned about seven minutes when they forced the Rockets into tough shots and turnovers.

“We stopped moving and got deep into the shot clock every time,” Kowalczyk explained when asked what went on during the KSU run. “We didn’t have good spacing, and we didn’t have good shot selection.”

A turnover and missed jump shot resulted in two fast break layups for Kent State, and UT found themselves down 31-19 with about two minutes remaining in the half. A timeout and a well-run play by the Golden Flashes made the score 38-24 at halftime.

They carried that momentum into the second half as they scored on nine of their first 10 shots to bust the game wide open 60-37 with twelve minutes left in the game.

UT only got as close as 17 in the second half, as Kent State shut them down offensively, giving up no easy baskets. The Rocket offense struggled to find open teammates and put together a run to get back in the game.

Toledo has now lost three of their last four games, struggling to put together a full 40 minutes of good basketball.

“We don’t need to separate and no pointing the finger; this is a time we need to come closer,” Taylor Jr. said.

The Midnight Blue and Gold will look to get back on track Saturday, Jan. 28 at Savage Arena, where they are 8-1 this season, when Northern Illinois come to the Glass City as a part of the Rockets for a Cure doubleheader. The men’s game will tip off at 2 p.m., and the women’s game will immediately follow.