DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A troubling yet familiar trend unfolded during the first half of Friday’s Toledo-Jacksonville State game: poor defense by the Rockets.
They trailed 41-34 after allowing the Gamecocks to shoot 57 percent and score 10 second-chance points. Twenty minutes remained, but past history suggested an uphill climb for UT.
That thought was erased barely four minutes into the second half, as the Rockets roared back with high-energy, in-your-face defense.
The end result was a hard-fought 82-80 win over Jacksonville State and a berth in the Boardwalk Battle championship game Saturday night at the Ocean Center.