With four players scoring in double figures, the Toledo Rockets (2-1) shot 57 percent from the field and defeated the men’s basketball team (1-2), 72-60, before 2,036 Sunday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.
The Rockets’ Justin Ingram led Toledo with 23 points and four assists. He also made five of the Rockets’ seven 3-pointers. Monday, Ingram was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week.
Sophomore guard Derrick Roberts paced SMU with 17 points, while junior forward Devon Pearson had 10 points and led all players with six defensive rebounds.
“I think we missed a lot of easy baskets,” said senior Donatas Rackauskas, who pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds against Toledo.
The Mustangs went 7-for-19 from the free throw line in the second half, and the Rockets led by as many as 19 at one point.
Freshman forward Brian Morris contributed nine points and five rebounds in 17 minutes of play. He currently leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting 73 percent over SMU’s first three games.
Morris is part of a recruiting class that has stepped up offensively this season. Sophomore guard Dez Willingham, a transfer from Kansas State, is averaging over nine points per game, while Georgia Perimeter Junior College transfer Brian Epps is a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
“They’re doing a good job by giving us some bench presence,” Rackauskas said.
Forward Ike Ofoegbu feels the new additions have improved the way the team plays together.
“I think our team chemistry has been going up a lot lately,” he said. “I love the way we’re playing.”
The Mustangs return to action this evening against the Long Island Blackbirds (0-2).
SMU’s defense will face a challenge in the Blackbirds’ hot-shooting team. Three Long Island players are averaging 10 points per game on the young season – sophomore guard Randy Jones (10.5), junior guard James Williams (10.5) and sophomore forward Kellen Allen (10).
“They shoot a lot of [3-pointers],” Ofoegbu said, “so we’ll have to rotate a lot.”
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Moody Coliseum.
