MUNCIE, Ind. – Toledo started strong and never trailed in a critical 80-72 victory at Ball State on Tuesday evening. The victory kept the Rockets (22-6, 10-5 MAC) one game in front of Central Michigan (20-8, 9-6 MAC) in the Mid-American Conference's West Division heading into Saturday's showdown vs. the Chippewas in Mt. Pleasant.
 
"This is a huge win for us because you have to win on the road to win a championship," said Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk after registering the 300^th victory of his coaching career. "We've had some previous success in this building but haven't won here the last three years. I was happy our seniors could taste what it's like to get a win here but more importantly stay in first place in the West Division."
 
The backcourt tandem of sophomore Marreon Jackson and senior Jaelan Sanford led Toledo's attack with 19 and 18 points, respectively. UT didn't have any other double-digit scorers but all eight Rockets who played scored six or more points.
 
Senior Tayler Persons paced Ball State (14-14, 5-10 MAC) with a game-high 20 points.
 
Both teams shot the ball well with the hosts posting a 52.1 FG% compared to UT's 49.1 mark. The Rockets made up for the Cardinals' slight shooting advantage by dominating the boards by a 34-23 margin and forcing 21 turnovers.
 
Toledo led by as many as 13 points in the first half before settling for a 41-36 halftime cushion. Ball State then pulled to within a point on two occasions in the second half before the Rockets pulled away.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Back-to-back three-point field goals from Jaelan Sanford and Spencer Littleson gave the Rockets a 16-8 six minutes into the contest.
• Ball State cut Toledo's lead to 18-15 at the 12:27 mark but the Rockets responded with a 9-2 spurt for a 27-17 lead midway through the half.
• Nate Navigato's three-pointer gave UT its largest lead of the half, 36-23, 5:46 before halftime.
• Jaelan Sanford ended an 8-0 Cardinal run with a free throw at the two-minute mark.
• The Rockets took a 41-36 lead to the locker room after Ball State hit a three right before the buzzer.
• Toledo shot 54.8 percent in the first half with Sanford scoring a team-high 10 points.

SECOND HALF

• Ball State trimmed the Rockets' lead to 43-42 less than two minutes into the second stanza.
• Toledo extended its lead back to four twice before the Cardinals came within a point again, 48-47, at the 13:28 mark.
• The Rockets responded with an 11-2 spurt to regain a double-digit cushion. Marreon Jackson keyed the burst that gave UT a 59-49 lead with 10:17 to play.
• The Rockets extended their lead to 68-54 on a Marreon Jackson trey just before the eight-minute mark.
• The closest Ball State came the rest of the way was 75-70 with 1:08 remaining.
• Jackson led the Rockets in the second half with 12 points.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Toledo snapped a five-game losing streak vs. Ball State and posted its first win in Muncie since 2015. UT is 5-4 in Worthen Arena under Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk.
• Ball State's 21 turnovers equal the most by a Rocket opponent this season. UT also forced 21 turnovers vs. Wilberforce.
• Toledo is 4-0 this season when only two Rockets score in double figures.
• The Rockets blocked four shots and now have a school-record 75 rejections in conference play. UT needs 11 blocks to equal last year's team's school record of 135 rejections.
• Toledo registered 19 assists with all eight Rockets collecting at least one helper..