Toledo basketball came back from a double-digit halftime deficit to secure “a hell of a win” at Marshall.
The Toledo Rockets stormed back from a double-digit deficit to beat the Marshall Thundering Herd 81-76 and secure the first win of the season on Saturday, fueled by 20 points each from guard Mynor Strong and forward Angel Montas Jr.
It appeared Toledo was going to suffer a third straight loss and fall to 0-3 to start the season, going down by 14 points in the first half and trailing 38-27 at halftime. However, the Rockets totally flipped the switch in a second-half comeback.
Toledo started the second half on a 27-16 run to turn a double-digit halftime deficit into a 54-54 tie, as Montas slipped into the paint and scored a game-tying layup with 10:44 left. From there on, the Rockets only continued to seize control.
Strong finished a layup through contact for a go-ahead and-one, taking a 61-60 lead over Marshall with 8:32 remaining. After Marshall regained the lead for a moment, Strong threw down a fastbreak dunk to tie it 69-69 with just 4:37 to go.
In the final minutes of the game, Toledo was poised and continued to execute at a high level on both ends of the floor.
Toledo guard Sean Jones sank a pair of free throws and scored a layup on back-to-back possessions to take a 73-69 lead. With just under a minute remaining, Toledo needed a bucket to extend the lead, and Strong did just that by attacking off the dribble and finishing a clutch layup to go up 77-74. Montas hit three free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
“I was not very happy with how we played in the first half, but we played hard, played together and made free throws when it mattered the most,” Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk said following the victory. “That was a hell of a win for us.”
Strong stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, seven steals and four rebounds, while Montas tallied 20 points in the win. Jones totaled 11 points and nine assists, and forward Jaylan Ouwinga added 11 points and six rebounds to help the Rockets.
Toledo improved to 1-2 with the win and will return home from a difficult opening week of the season with momentum.
The Rockets are scheduled to host the Wright State Raiders in the home opener at Savage Arena on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.