Rockets’ Livid Rally Comes Up Quick, 76-74

TOLEDO, Ohio —The Toledo males’s basketball workforce staged a livid second-half comeback earlier than falling 76-74 to South Alabama in its 2025-26 season opener on Monday night time in Savage Arena.

Trailing by 13 at halftime, the Rockets got here out of the locker room and outscored the Jaguars 48-37 within the second half to almost erase a 19-point deficit. Toledo had a shot to win the sport on the buzzer however freshman Leroy Blyden Jr.’s three-pointer rimmed out.

Senior Kyler Vanderjagt and Blyden led the Rockets with 17 factors. VanderJagt knocked down 4-of-6 pictures from past the arc and was an ideal 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Blyden supplied a prompt the bench, nailing 5 three-pointers to go together with a team-high six assists and two blocked pictures.

Junior Sonny Wilson was the one different Rocket in double figures with 15 factors. Senior Sean Craig grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds.

Toledo struggled to seek out its rhythm early, taking pictures simply 33.3% from the sector and 18.8% from three-point vary within the first half. The Rockets flipped the script after the break although, connecting on 60.7% of their pictures and a formidable 70.6% from deep.

Adam Olsen topped South Alabama with 23 factors.

QUOTING COACH KOWALCZYK

“South Alabama played a really good zone and that’s not something you can simulate in practice. I thought we clearly had the advantage inside tonight, but when you’re going against a zone like that, it’s hard to get the ball inside. I thought we lost our confidence on the defensive end the way we started the game. I was very excited that we came back and had a chance to win the game. We’ll learn from it and move on.”

ROCKET LEADERS

• Kyler VanderJagt: 17 pts., 4-6 3FG, 3-3 FT
• Leroy Blyden Jr.: 17 pts., 6 asst., 5-10 3FG, 2 blks.
• Sonny Wilson: 15 pts., 3 reb., 3 asst., 2 stls.

TEAM STATS
Toledo: 47.3 FG%, 45.5 3PTFG% (15-of-33), 77.8 FT% (7-of-9), 26 Reb., 21 Asst., 11 TO
South Alabama: 55.2 FG%, 36.8 3PTFG% (7-of-19), 38.5 FT% (5-of-13), 36 Reb., 16 Asst., 11 TO

ROCKET ROUNDUP

• Toledo’s 15 three-point discipline targets have been its most in a recreation since hitting 15 vs. Miami on Feb. 16, 2021.
• Leroy Blyden’s 5 three-pointers have been probably the most by a Rocket since Dante Maddox Jr. buried six vs. Bowling Green on Jan. 27, 2024.
• The Rockets’ 21 assists have been their most in opposition to a Division I opponent since tallying 22 vs. Northern Illinois on Feb. 27, 2024.

UP NEXT
Toledo (0-1) will look to bounce again when it hosts Marshall (1-0) on Saturday, Nov. 8. Tipoff is ready for two:00 p.m. in Savage Arena with streaming on ESPN+.