Toledo basketball dominated the second half to defeat Findlay in preseason play.
The Toledo Rockets stormed back with a dominant second-half run to fight off the Findlay Oilers for an 88-78 win in the preseason opener at Croy Gymnasium on Sunday. Despite getting off to a slow start and entering halftime with a 44-35 deficit, the Rockets put together a 30-9 run in the second half to come back and eventually secure a win in preseason play.
Both teams traded blows in the early stages, highlighted by a mid-range jumper from guard Myron Strong to get Toledo on the scoreboard, a dunk from forward Chris Riddle, and a putback slam from center Austin Parks to tie it 25-25 in the first half.
However, Findlay surged ahead in the final minutes of the half with a 7-0 run to take a 44-35 lead into the locker room.
The Rockets looked like a totally different team in the second half, though, going on a commanding 30-9 run to turn a 46-35 deficit into a 65-55 lead as Maynor drilled a 3-pointer with 10:26 left to cap off the run. Toledo guard Will James Jr. and forward Jaylan Ouwinga hit 3-pointers during the run, and Parks also had a powerful go-ahead dunk to take a 57-55 lead.
In the final minute of the game, Toledo forward Angel Montas Jr. put the finishing touches on the comeback with a fastbreak throwdown to punctuate an 88-78 win in the exhibition opener.
The Rockets will host the Northern Illinois Huskies on October 25 at Savage Arena in the final preseason game before the regular season officially gets started on November 2.
“I've always been a big fan of playing at Findlay because it gives us an opportunity to play in a hostile environment,” Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “It's something where we can learn about ourselves and challenge our guys, especially the freshmen, and this year it's even more important because we'll be playing three road games in our first week of the season.”
