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The Toledo Rockets improved their record to 2-0 after an impressive 100-78 win over the Youngstown State Penguins Wednesday night.The Rockets controlled the game most of the way through and did not let the Penguins get comfortable.
The Rockets were able to control the game from the get go and seemed to have the Penguins right were they wanted them throughout the first half. It seemed that every time Youngstown State would get in a groove, Toledo would move the ball around and get a few quick baskets to keep them at bay. The Rockets were able to force 10 turnovers in the first half and capitalized off these turnovers, which was one noticeable difference between the two teams. At the end of the first half Toledo held a 13-point lead and never looked back.
In the second half the Rockets continued to stretch their lead which finally blossomed at a 22-point margin. Youngstown State did have some points in the second half that made it feel that they had a run coming but nothing ever materialized.
The Rockets showed that they have many different scoring options. Nathan Boothe lead the team in scoring with a career-high 26 points. Boothe stood out the whole game scoring 15 of his 26 in the first half. Jonathan Williams was another Rocket that had a career-high adding 20 points. Boothe and Williams were joined in scoring double digits by Nate Navigato and Stuckey Mosley. The only starter not to reach double digits was Jaelan Sanford who added 9 for Toledo.
Youngstown State did have a few stand out performances of its own and one player who did not provide the scoring punch he is used to. The Penguins top performer comes from their bench. Cameron Morse provided more than a spark by putting up 23 points and 6 rebounds for YSU. Matt Donlan looked to be the only scoring threat for the Penguins early scoring 8 points in the first 6 minutes of the game and ended up with 18. The biggest surprise was Bobby Hain being held to 7 points after coming off a 20 point performance against Kent State.
Toledo will look to continue its scoring success and improve to 3-0 when it travels to Chicago to face a 2-1 Loyola team on Saturday and the Penguins will look to get their first win of the season against Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Meyers on Saturday.