Toledo loses 72-62 at home against EIU in season opener

The Rockets rallied in the second half Saturday night but could not catch up to Eastern Illinois, losing to the Panthers 72-62 at Savage Arena. It was the first ever meeting between the two teams.

“EIU is a very seasoned team,” said Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross. “They came in and did what I thought they were. They controlled the game, especially early. There was a point in the game where we couldn’t buy a basket and things got kind of stagnant, and that was where we lost momentum and confidence.”

Redshirt freshman guard Stephen Albrecht led UT (0-1, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds in a team-high 35 minutes of action.

“In the first half, I struggled shooting the ball,” Albrecht said. “But in the second half, coach just told me to relax and shoot the ball how I do. I shot better, but it still wasn’t enough.”

Junior forward Justin Anyijong scored in double-digits with 11 points and controlled the glass with a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Larry Bastfield set a career-high in the game with six assists to go with his five points.

“We were nervous in pre-game,” Albrecht said. “It was our first game this year, but it wasn’t our first game ever. We just played through the nerves, and once you get passed that point things settled down.”

The Rockets shot well throughout the game and posted a solid 46.5 field goal percentage and shot 40 percent from beyond the three-point arch.

However, UT turned the ball over 21 times.

“We turned the ball over recklessly,” Cross said. “We were just very careless.

“Our old nemesis is back. I feel like its ‘Groundhog Day.’ We are talking 21 turnovers, and anytime you turn the ball over, you don’t give yourself a chance to win.”

The Rockets also had foul trouble. Junior forward Mouhamed Lo fouled out with eight points and four rebounds and freshman guard Jake Barnett notched nine points and was on the court for just 16 minutes

Toledo almost overcame a 13-point deficit with just over nine minutes remaining in the contest. Albrecht started the rally when he drained four-straight free throws then teamed with Anyijong to nail back-to-back three pointers to make the game 52-49 with seven minutes left to play.

“There were spurts during the game where we shot real well and then we went blank,” Anyijong said.

“We showed high potential in the second half. That’s the kind of attitude we need to have.”

Eastern Illinois quickly responded, piecing together a 6-0 run of their own and extending the lead to10 with two minutes remaining, ending any hope of a comeback.

“Chemistry is knowing where guys are going to be on the floor, and we are still defining roles,” Cross said. “That happens when you have a group that hasn’t been together before.

“As we continue to define our roles, we’ll grow and get better. I’m confident we’ll get there. It’s just going to take time.

The Rockets return to action on Wednesday against Cincinnati. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. UT faces No. 2 Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

“We are going to go in there and be the underdog,” Cross said. “We are going to go out there and just let it rip, let it hang out and try to get a win.

“I might have to pipe loud music in this place to get them used to not hearing me and to get them used to using hand signals,” Cross said. “They have no idea what they’re in for right now.”