UT Men lose two games, but bounce back against Eastern Michigan

The Rocket men’s basketball team lost two close games on the road last week, falling on Tuesday, Jan. 31 to Ball State 81-80. Then on Saturday, Feb. 4, the Rockets lost the Battle of I-75 to Bowling Green 104-100 in a double-overtime thriller.

UT now stands at 11-12 (4-6 MAC) on the season heading into two games at Savage Arena this week.

Ball State University

Toledo was shorthanded against Ball State, as fourth-year guard Jonathan Williams missed the game with an illness. Somebody else had to step up for the Rockets, and it was the duo of fourth-year forward Steve Taylor Jr. and first-year forward Luke Knapke who took up the task.

Taylor Jr. recorded 23 points and 18 rebounds and Knapke added 18, including four three-pointers. Second-year guard Jaelen Sanford continued his strong play with 15 points and a career-high seven assists.

“I was happy with the grit, toughness and togetherness we played with tonight,” said head coach Tod Kowalczyk.

Second-year guard Tayler Persons, with a game-high 26 points, led the Cardinals.

UT hopped out to an early 10-0 lead thanks to a pair of triples from first-year guard Justin Roberts, who made his first career start in place of Williams.

They controlled Ball State for most of first half due to some aggressive offensive from Taylor Jr. But soon, Persons hit a three that started a run that got BSU within one.

UT kept a small lead headed into halftime, helped by eight points from Taylor Jr. Up by four, the Rockets gave up a layup at the buzzer to make the halftime score 46-44.

The Cardinals tied the game within three minutes of the second half starting. With the game tied at 48 points, Persons knocked a three to give BSU their first lead of the game.

Toledo took the lead right back, then built on it as they got threes from Sanford and second-year forward Nate Navigato to put them ahead 61-54.

Ball State reeled off a 13-2 run to take a six-point lead on the Rockets with eight minutes remaining, as they didn’t miss a shot during the run.

After a Roberts turnover and a layup by Persons, Ball State was up by nine with two minutes remaining. The Rockets started knocking down three balls to make it a game.

Down by two with seven ticks left on the clock, Ball State knocked down two free throws to ice the game.

“We played well throughout, but their run midway through the second half was the key to the game,” Kowalczyk said. “Steve Taylor Jr. wasn’t feeling well, and he really came up big for us. Luke Knapke also had a big game for us, and he’s a player who is really coming on.”

Bowling Green State University

The midnight blue and gold were looking to bounce back on Saturday at the Stroh Center against Bowling Green, but they fell short in a double-OT battle.

UT had three players score at least 20 points, as Taylor Jr. and Williams scored 24 and Sanford added 21.

“I’m disappointed that we came up on the short end of the stick in a very close game,” Kowalczyk said, “but we had our chances to win.”

The Falcons were led by Zack Denny, who scored a game-high 26 points.

In the first overtime, the Rockets held a seven-point lead with 1:28 remaining, thanks to three free throws from Williams.

But the defense could not stop the Falcons giving up three straight baskets to Wes Alcegaire to cut the lead to 87-86 with around 40 seconds left.

Sanford came down and hit a baseline jump shot, but Denny came right back and drilled a three to tie the game at 89 with 5.5 left, basically sending the game to a second overtime.

UT again gained an advantage in overtime, finding themselves leading by five with just under a minute remaining after a Navigato three.

The teams exchanged baskets in the final minutes, but a pair of triples by Denny was the difference, as UT was down 102-100 with 26 seconds left. Sanford saw his three-pointer rim out, and the game was all but over.

“I’m glad with our effort tonight,” Williams said, “except for a couple transition mistakes I blame myself for.”

UT lost their third straight game despite leading for about 42 minutes.

Eastern Michigan University

The Rockets headed back home on Feb. 7 to face Eastern Michigan University, looking to end their losing streak.

A pair of early three-pointers from fourth-year guard Jordan Lauf helped propelled the Rockets to an 8-2 lead early in the first half.

But due to fouls and turnovers, the Rockets could control their early lead. The Eagles bounced back and regained the lead at the 12:43 mark, with the score being 12-10.

The back-and-forth lead changes continued for most of the first half, but Toledo managed to end the half with the score in their favor: 26-22. Sanford led the Rockets with seven points in the half, with Lauf following closely behind him with six.

Toledo exploded to a nine-point lead early in the second half on the back of four points from Steve Taylor Jr. and a three-pointer from Jaelan Sanford.
Toledo didn’t let up for the whole half, and a pair of threes from Lauf and Navigato put Toledo up 62-47 with five minutes left in regulation. The Rockets continued to extend that lead in the remaining minutes, snapping their losing streak and winning the game by a score of 73-57.

Navigato and Lauf led the rockets in points for the game, with Navigato scoring 16 and Lauf dropping 15.

The midnight blue and gold look to continue winning on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Kent State University. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.