TOLEDO, OH - Freshman G Jake Barnett drilled five three-pointers, but it wasn't enough as Toledo's men's basketball team dropped a 61-41 decision to Western Michigan in MAC West Division action at Savage Arena.

Barnett was 5-of-10 from behind the arc on his way to scoring a team-high 17 points, and junior F Justin Anyijong tallied 11, but the Rockets bench was outscored 20-5 and the team could not overcome an early surge by the Broncos to start the second half.

Toledo scored the game's opening basket -- a three-pointer from Anyijong -- but went scoreless over the next 4:49 as the Broncos scored 11 unanswered. Barnett quelled the scoring drought with a three-pointer from the top of the arc, and later, a Jay Shunnar steal at midcourt set up a nifty feed from Barnett to Anyijong for a three-point play to make it 13-11.

The Broncos extended their lead to seven points two more times in the half, but Toledo answered both times, and a three-pointer by Barnett cut the Rockets' deficit to 25-21 at intermission.

Western Michigan opened the second half by scoring the first eight points, and its defense put the clamps on the Rockets, limiting Toledo to just eight points in the opening 13 minutes of the frame as the lead eventually swelled to 25 points.

"The first four minutes of the second half were the story of the game," Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross said. "We lost the game because we didn't play well enough on defense or rebound the basketball in the second half. Western Michigan took control right away, and we couldn't come up with an answer."

With the loss, Toledo fell to 3-26 on the season, while Western Michigan improved to 15-13.

The Rockets are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 27 in the second part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team. The women will tip off at 4:30 p.m. in Savage Arena against Ball State, with men's tipoff following at 7 p.m. as one ticket is good for admission to both games.