QUICK HITTERS
•  Toledo (15-14, 8-8 MAC) wraps up the regular-season portion of its 2016-17 home campaign when it hosts MAC West Division co-leader Ball State (18-11, 9-7 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Tip-off time for UT's Senior Night contest in Savage Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. with the game being televised on BCSN and streamed on ESPN3.
•  The Rockets enter Tuesday's contest just one game behind the Cardinals and Western Michigan (13-15, 9-7 MAC) and still have their sights set on capturing at least a share of the West Division crown. UT currently possesses the No. 7 seed for the 2017 MAC Tournament and would host Eastern Michigan in a first-round matchup on March 6.
•  The Rockets bounced back from a 61-56 (OT) loss to WMU with a resounding 87-66 triumph over Central Michigan last Friday. UT led by double digits for nearly the entire game after jumping out to an early 12-2 advantage. Senior Jonathan Williams led Toledo with 22 points, while senior Steve Taylor, Jr., (17 pts., 10 reb.) and senior Jordan Lauf (career highs with 16 pts. and 14 reb.) each notched double-doubles.
•  Williams ranks third in the MAC with a team-high 19.8 ppg. He also leads UT with an 80.9 FT%, 127 FTs made and 157 FTs attempted and is averaging 3.8 apg in league play.
•  Taylor ranks second in team scoring with 15.7 ppg to go along with a MAC-best 12.4 rpg and a team-high 3.6 apg. He sits third nationally in rebounding (through Feb. 25) and is tied for first in the country with 9.9 defensive rpg with Purdue's Caleb Swanigan. In addition, Taylor's 21 double-doubles rank third in the nation.
•   Sophomore guard Jaelan Sanford is also a double-digit scorer for the Rockets with 13.8 ppg and is playing a team-high 35.9 mpg. In league play, he is averaging 14.5 ppg and a team-high 3.9 apg with a 51.6 FG%, 47.9 3PTFG% and 2.4 assist/turnover ratio.
•  As a team, Toledo ranks second in the MAC with 80.3 ppg and is first with a 48.7 FG% (16th nationally) and 16.3 apg. UT leads the MAC in league play with a 49.6 FG% and 17.5 apg.
•  The Rockets have tied a national record with eight overtime games that was previously held by Western Kentucky (1978), Portland (1984) and Valparaiso (1993). UT's previous record for overtime games was five in the 1971-72 campaign.
• Ball State saw its three-game winning streak end with an 80-55 setback at Western Michigan on Saturday. The defeat was the Cardinals' first in eight contests vs. West Division foes this season.
•  Sophomore guard Tayler Persons paces BSU with 15.8 ppg and 4.9 apg with senior forward Franko House (13.1), senior forward Ryan Weber (9.6), sophomore center Trey Moses (9.5) and junior guard Sean Sellers (9.3) each averaging higher than 9.0 ppg.

POST-GAME NOTES FROM UT'S 87-66 VICTORY OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN
•  UT's record improved to 10-7 when leading at halftime and 14-4 when leading with five minutes to play.
•  Toledo is 13-7 when grabbing more rebounds than its opponent.
•  The Rockets' plus-14 advantage on the boards against CMU was two shy of its largest cushion this season. UT held a plus-16 edge on Buffalo in its MAC opener.
•  Toledo has a plus-43 rebounding advantage in its last three games.
•  Toledo is 13-5 when shooting 45 percent or higher from the field and 9-4 when holding its opponent under 45 percent shooting from the field.
•  The Rockets are 13-3 when registering a higher shooting mark than their opponent.
•  Five Rockets scored in double digits for the third time this season and UT is undefeated in those contests.
•  UT is 7-1 when holding its opponent under 70 points.
•  Central Michigan's 20 first-half points were the lowest point total allowed by UT in an opening stanza this season.
•  Senior forward Steve Taylor Jr.'s 346 rebounds rank third in school history. The school record is 371 by Doug Hess, who averaged 15.5 rpg in the 1969-70 campaign.
•  Senior guard Jordan Lauf grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and is averaging 9.0 rpg in his last seven contests.
 
FOUR ROCKETS RANKED AMONG TOP 30 IN MAC LEAGUE SCORING
        Toledo and Buffalo are the only schools to have four players appear in the Mid-American Conference's Top 30 scorers in league play. Senior Jonathan Williams ranks fourth with 19.8 ppg and is followed by senior Steve Taylor, Jr. (11th/15.6 ppg), sophomore Jaelan Sanford (16th/14.5 ppg) and sophomore Nate Navigato (29th/11.7 ppg).
 
HOME SWEET HOME
        Toledo is 11-3 in Savage Arena this season, marking its best home record since posting a 15-0 ledger in 2013-14. Since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, UT holds a 45-14 (.763) home mark.
 
IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY...
        Toledo is currently in third place in the MAC's West Division and is one game behind Ball State and Western Michigan. The Rockets are also just one games behind the Cardinals, Broncos, Kent State and Buffalo for the third-best record in the conference. If the season ended today, UT would be the No. 7 seed and host No. 10 Eastern Michigan in the first round of the MAC Tournament.
        Below is a listing of the teams' records with their remaining schedules:
        Team (H/A rem.)       MAC Record     Remaining Games
1.     Akron (1/1)                         13-3           Miami, @KSU
2.     Ohio (2/0)                          10-6           UB; Miami
3.     Buffalo (1/1)                        9-7            @Ohio; BG
4.     Western Michigan (1/1)   9-7            @NIU; CMU
5.     Kent State (1/1)                  9-7            @BG; Akron
6.     Ball State (1/1)                    9-7            @Toledo; NIU
7.     Toledo (1/1)                        8-8            BSU; @EMU
8.     Northern Illinois (1/1)       7-9            WMU; @BSU
9      Bowling Green (1/1)         7-9            KSU; @UB
10.   Eastern Michigan (1/1)    6-10           @CMU; Toledo
11.    Central Michigan (1/1)    6-10           EMU; @WMU
12.   Miami (0/2)                        3-12           @Akron; @Ohio
 
ON THE HORIZON
        Following Tuesday's contest, Toledo will close out its regular season at Eastern Michigan (14-15, 6-10 MAC) on Friday, March 3. The first round of the 2017 MAC Tournament will be held at campus sites on Monday, March 6.