TOLEDO, OH ? Toledo (4-14, 2-2 MAC) continued its recent domination of MAC West Division foe Central Michigan (4-12, 1-3 MAC) on Tuesday evening with a 75-61 home triumph over the Chippewas. The victory was the Rockets' 12th straight over CMU and also was the first time this season UT has posted back-to-back wins.
“I think we have some momentum going right now,” Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross said. “I'm happy for our guys, and I think they appreciate and like the taste of victory. Now we have to take that next step and come out mentally prepared to try to get a win on the road.”
Four Rockets scored in double figures with senior G Jonathan Amos leading the way with 17 points. Senior G Tyrone Kent (16 pts., season-high five asst.), senior G Ridley Johnson (13 pts.) and sophomore F Justin Anyijong (13 pts.) also were in double figures. Anyijong also hauled down a career-high 17 rebounds to notch his second career double-double.
UT limited Central Michigan to a 36.2 field-goal percentage, marking the third straight contest it has held its opponent under 37.0 percent shooting. The Rockets also held a 41-33 advantage on the boards but allowed CMU to grab 16 rebounds on the offensive glass.
Toledo converted a season-high 23 free throws out of 27 attempts and is shooting 80.0 percent (44-of-55) from the charity stripe in its last two contests.
After a sluggish start caused the Rockets to fall behind by an 8-2 margin, UT appeared to take control with a 13-0 run midway through the first half to take a 29-14 lead. Toledo held the Chippewas without a field goal for almost five minutes during this stretch and limited CMU to a 30.8 first-half field-goal percentage.
“I thought we came out a little bit complacent and gave up some open jump shots,” Cross said. “I called timeout and let them have it because they deserved it. The players responded though and responded like I don't think they have all year. We clawed back and fought off a Central team that wasn't going to give up.”
All nine UT players who played in the first half scored with Anyijong setting the pace with seven points and nine rebounds. Anyijong's presence helped Toledo dominate the glass with a 23-11 advantage.
With the Rockets holding a 37-23 at intermission, CMU came out of the locker room after halftime on fire. The Chippewas opened the half with a 13-3 spurt to cut the Rockets' lead to four points nearly five minutes into the second stanza. Amos ended the visitor's spurt with a runner in the lane and a Kent trey from the left corner pushed UT's margin to 45-36 with 14:33 to play. Kent then followed with a traditional three-point play and Toledo's lead was back in double digits. UT then forced a steal with its press and Anyijong slammed home a dunk to cap a 10-0 Rocket run.
Toledo will now look to take its homecourt success on the road when it travels to Muncie, IN to battle Ball State (8-8, 3-1 MAC) at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25. The Cardinals are tied for first place in the West Division after posting a 50-44 home win tonight over Western Michigan.
