TOLEDO, Ohio – Central Michigan pulled away down the stretch to send the Toledo men's basketball team to a 74-67 defeat in Savage Arena on Tuesday evening.
 
The Rockets (9-8, 1-3 MAC) led 61-60 following a basket from senior Willie Jackson with 5:35 remaining but went scoreless for nearly five minutes leading to a 10-0 Chippewa run. The competitive contest featured 12 lead changes and eight occasions when the score was tied.
 
Redshirt freshman Keshaun Saunders paced the Toledo attack with a career-high tying 18 points. Junior Marreon Jackson contributed 17 points, while senior Luke Knapke tallied 14 points and eight rebounds.
 
Willie Jackson led the Rockets on the boards with 13 rebounds, but that wasn't enough to prevent CMU (10-7, 3-1 MAC) from holding a 41-35 advantage on the glass.
 
Senior guard Dallas Morgan led Central Michigan with 22 points, while senior David DiLeo and junior Devontae Lane each scored 16 points.
 
Toledo knocked down 11 three-point field goals but shot just 37.7 percent from the field. Central Michigan registered a 44.1 shooting mark and was 7-of-23 from behind the three-point arc.
 
The Rockets return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18 with a trip to Akron, Ohio to face the MAC East Division-leading Zips (14-3, 4-0 MAC). Tip-off time in Rhodes Arena is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
FIRST HALF

• Neither team led by more than three points until Keshaun Saunders' trey and Willie Jackson's layup put the Rockets ahead, 22-15, just over nine minutes into the game.
• CMU fought right back with an 8-0 spurt to re-gain the lead, but Marreon Jackson's three-pointer gave Toledo a 25-23 advantage at the 8:49 mark.
• The Chippewas then took a four-point lead on three different occasions before treys from Marreon Jackson and Keshaun Saunders gave Toledo a 41-38 halftime cushion.

SECOND HALF

• Toledo took its largest lead of the evening, 50-42, with 13:37 to play following a pair of free throws from Luke Knapke.
• Dallas Morgan then scored seven straight points to cut the Rockets' lead to 50-49 with 10:51 remaining.
• A three-point field goal from Marreon Jackson provided Toledo a 59-53 lead nearly three minutes later.
• Devontae Lane scored five straight points to bring CMU within a point and Morgan followed with another tough jumper to put Toledo down 61-60 at the six-minute mark
• Willie Jackson quickly answered to give Toledo a 61-60 lead but that was the Rockets' last basket until Saunders' jumper cut CMU's advantage to 70-63 with 50 seconds left.

Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk post-game.


Junior Marreon Jackson post-game.