Rockets back on track with 77-67 home win

The University of Toledo men’s basketball team snapped a two-game skid with a 77-67 win against Mid-American Conference West Division leader Ball State in Savage Arena.

The Rockets (17-11, 8-7 MAC) are now a game behind the Cardinals for first place and tied with Central Michigan in second place in the MAC West with only three games remaining.

“This game was crucial,” said head coach Todd Kowalcyzk. “The guys performed as such. We played with really good energy and togetherness and it led to a really efficient offensive game for us.”

The Rockets were led by star center senior Nathan Boothe with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds. Joining him in double-figures were junior Jonathan Williams with 12 points and freshman Nate Navigato with a new MAC game-high with 19 points off the bench.

UT lit it up from the field in the first half, shooting 62.1 percent from the field and 75 percent from beyond the arch. The Rockets finished the game shooting 46 percent from the field.

“We haven’t come out fast lately,” said Boothe. “It was something Coach really preached during practice and before the game.”

Toledo also took care of the ball committing just six turnovers on the night and dishing out 16 assists along the way.

The Cardinals had a hot first half as well, shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Ball State was led by junior Ryan Weber with 18 points. Weber dropped 15 first-half points before being held to just a single trey in the second half by freshman Jaylean Sanford with two minutes to go in the game.

“[Sanford] has been our most reliable defender in big games,” Kowalcyzk said.

Also in double-figures for the Cards was senior Bo Calhoun and sophomore Francis Kiapway with 10 points apiece.

Boothe got things going with a layup that was quickly answered with a 3-pointer by Kiapway.

Toledo jumped out to an early 11-9 lead in the opening minutes of the first period following a layup by junior Zack Garber.

Ball State retook the lead after back-to-back threes from Weber, making it a 17-14 game at the under 12-minute media timeout.

Following the media timeout, Navigato drained two corner threes from opposite corners to put the Rockets back on top.

The Rockets held on to a slim lead until Kiapway tied things up at 29 following an elbow jumper with just under seven minutes to play.

With the game tied at 38 with 2:42 remaining, Ball State used a timeout that lead to a Mosley jumper at the elbow for a 40-38 advantage.

The Rockets finished the half on a 9-0 run capped off with three Sanford free throws at the end of the quarter with a single second showing on the clock to take a 47-38 halftime lead.

The Cards came out of the break on an 8-0 run to cut the UT lead to just 1 point in the opening minutes of the second stanza. Boothe stopped the bleeding with a three from the top of the key which sparked a Rocket run.

Toledo scored the next 12 points unanswered with a pair of Navigato treys to put UT up 59-46 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.

From that point on, Toledo never let the lead get any smaller than 8, keeping control for the remainder of the game.

The Rockets hung on to the win despite shooting just 1-of-6 in the last six and a half minutes of the game.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time and trying to put ourselves in a good position here at the end,” Boothe said.

Toledo has three games remaining on their schedule in hopes of claiming the number-one spot in the MAC West. The Rockets will host Central Michigan on Saturday before traveling to Western Michigan next Tuesday.

Toledo will cap off the regular season at home against Eastern Michigan on March 4, just three days before the MAC Tournament begins.