TOLEDO — Jaaron Simmons said he’s never met D.J. Cooper.
But he’s now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Bobcat great atop at least one list in the Ohio record book.
Simmons tied the single-game Ohio record with 17 assists in the Bobcats’ dramatic 81-79 win at Toledo on Tuesday. The record of 17 was set by Cooper in a Jan. 5, 2013 win over Marshall in the Convo.
The 17 assists are the most ever recorded in a Mid-American Conference game, and the most handed out by any player inside Toledo’s Savage Hall.
It was just one facet of a key night from Simmons, who also had 12 points, completely dominated Toledo PGs Stuckey Mosley and Nick Rogers, and survived the final four minutes in four fouls.