AT LAST, A WIN!

It took the Toledo Rockets 10 games to get their first victory of this season, a 75-72 overtime win over visiting Valparaiso, but when it finally came, it was a hard-fought gritty team effort that had the 4,078 fans at Savage Arena animated and on their feet cheering.

Valpo, coached by Homer Drew a legend of sorts in the college game, entered the contest with a 6-3 record that included a 68-66 overtime road win against UIC, a double winner against the Rockets this season. Homer Drew is also the father of Rocket legend, Dana Drew-Shaw, arguably one of best players ever to wear the Midnight Blue and Gold as a Lady Rocket basketball player, and the father-in-law of former Rocket Casey Shaw.

The game began as all others have for Toledo this season with the Rockets getting down early and struggling to stay with their opponent. The Crusaders broke a 2-all tie about two minutes into the contest with a long 3-point shot by sophomore Ryan Brockhoff and maintained the lead until Toledo’s Dilano Dear completed an old fashioned three-point play to pull up even at 16.

The Rockets couldn't stand prosperity however, as an aggressive Crusader defense forced several turnovers that led to an eight point, 27-19, lead with seven minutes left to be played in the half. To be fair, Toledo was its own worst enemy during much of first 20 minutes, also committing several unforced turnovers that kept them from closing on the visitors. The half ended with UT on the short end of a 36-28 count.

Toledo committed 12 turnovers before intermission, and those miscues led to 14 Valparaiso points. In the same span the Crusaders were guilty of just three errors.

Valpo quickly turned up the heat in the second half, extending the lead to 13 points, 47-34, after four minutes of play. Freshman Zack Leahy then hit a jump shot that ignited an 18-5 Toledo run to catch the Crusaders at 52 all. Toledo took its first lead of the half when freshman Reese Holliday, who had a monster second-half, threw in a layup for a 54-52 lead at the 6:35 mark. Two minutes later, senior Anthony Wright canned a long triple for a three-point lead, and the crowd began to sense that this might be the game to break that losing streak.

Toledo had a chance to claim the win in regulation time after Holliday converted a pair of free throws for a 63-58 lead with forty-eight seconds remaining, but five consecutive points by Valparaiso’s Brandon Wood, sandwiched around a Rocket turnover, tied the game. Following a 30-second Toledo timeout, Malcolm Griffin fired up an errant shot just before the buzzer, sending the contest into overtime.

UT grabbed the lead in the overtime period when Holliday went high to tip in a missed shot. Holliday extended Toledo’s lead to 67-63 with a pair of free throws on the Rockets next possession. The Kansas City native would step up big again as he hit two more charity tosses with 14 seconds left on the clock and the Midnight Blue and Gold clinging to a one point lead.

A final wild desperation toss by Valpo’s Wood as time was running out clanked off the rim and into the hands of Toledo’s Wright who held the ball until the final buzzer.

The leading scorer on the evening was Valparaiso’s Cory Johnson, a 6-7 senior forward who played as if he might have been 6-10. Johnson was a thorn in Toledo’s side all evening with his strong post play and wasn't completely stopped until he fouled out in the overtime. Also scoring in double figures for the Crusaders were Wood with 17 points and Broekoff who tallied 12 markers.

Leading the Rockets was Holliday with a 16-point 10-rebound double-double. Holliday, who had just four points and three rebounds before intermission, was the definitely the catalyst in the second half comeback and subsequent overtime win.

“It was just so great to get that first college win,” said Holliday. “There’s nothing like it. This is the performance that we've been waiting for all season. When the game went into overtime we knew we had to stay solid defensively, be smart on offensive, and limit our turnovers; that was the big thing.”

Also stepping up strong for the winners were Griffin with 14 points; Wright, who finished with 13 points ; Dear, 11 points (nine in the first half); and freshman Hayden Humes, who tallied Toledo’s second double-double of the evening with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

“Man, this game was crazy,” Wright said following the game. “First the bench was going crazy, then the crowd got into it. This is the first game this year that we really fed off of the crowd. This was a physical game: Guys were bloody, on the ground, and I ended up in the stands. We just had to come out fighting”

After committing those 12 turnovers in the first period, The Rockets buckled down and were guilty of just five miscues in the final 25 minutes.

Toledo also had a huge edge in rebounding wiping the glass for 48 grabs to 34 for Valparaiso. Neither team had a stellar performance at the free throw line but the Rockets  had a decisive edge in attempts, making good on 20-of-30 charity tosses while Valpo was just 10-of-19 at the stripe.

Commenting after the game Tod Kowalczyk said, “It wasn't always pretty, but I've got to give those guys in the locker room a large amount of credit for just gutting out a big win. I'm proud that we found a way to win tonight.”

The Rockets now look to begin a winning streak of their own as they prepare for their next game, a home contest against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec.18.