TOLEDO, Ohio – Junior JT Shumate tied his season high with 29 points to help Toledo (21-6, 13-3 MAC) move back into first place in the Mid-American Conference on Saturday night with a 68-66 home victory over Central Michigan. The Rockets are now tied for the top spot in the league with Ohio (22-5, 13-3 MAC) and one game in front of Kent State (17-9, 12-4 MAC).

"We didn't shoot the ball well tonight and we found a way to grind out a victory," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said after the Rockets won for the ninth time in last 11 games vs. the Chippewas (6-18, 5-8 MAC). "We moved the ball extremely well and had 20 assists even though we didn't make the shots we're capable of. We couldn't gain any separation tonight, and they controlled the tempo tonight by playing zone. We're in first place in the MAC in late February which is where we want to be."

Shumate finished 10-of-16 from the field and tied his career high with five three-point field goals in seven attempts. He also hit a free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining to give Toledo a 68-66 lead before the Chippewas were unable to get a shot off at the buzzer.

"JT was big tonight for us and has been all year," Kowalczyk said. "He's unbelievably underrated and people are starting to see how good he is. I think people in our league know how good he is."

Shumate was joined in double figures by junior Setric Millner, Jr. (12 pts.), junior RayJ Dennis (10 pts.) and redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss (10 pts.).

Graduate transfer Cameron Healy topped Central Michigan with 18 points.

Millner, Jr. and Moss each dished out a team-high six assists to help the Rockets collect 21 as a team with just 10 turnovers.

Toledo shot 44.1 percent from the field and limited the Chippewas to a 39.7 shooting mark.

The Rockets return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 22 with a trip to Kalamazoo, Mich. to face Western Michigan (6-21, 2-14 MAC).

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• An 11-2 Central Michigan run put Toledo down 18-9 just under nine minutes into the contest.
• The Rockets got hot and went on an 18-2 run to take a 27-20 lead at the 6:05 mark. JT Shumate keyed the outburst with 10 of his 15 first-half points.
• The Chippewas responded by outscoring the Rockets, 11-2, the rest of the half to take a 31-29 advantage to the locker room.
• Toledo shot just 33.3 percent in the opening 20 minutes, while CMU registered a 39.3 FG%.

SECOND HALF

• The Rockets regained their lead with a 7-0 run early in the second half for a 39-35 edge at the 16:23 mark.
• The Chippewas rallied to move back in front, 43-42 on Ralph Bissainthe's layup with 13:45 to play.
• Neither team led by more than three points until Ra'Heim Moss buried a trey for a 61-57 cushion with 6:13 left.
• The Rockets then extended their advantage to 67-61 on a Shumate dunk with 59 seconds remaining, but CMU's Kevin Miller knocked down a corner trey and Cameron Healy hit a jumper to cut Toledo's lead to 67-66 with 8.5 seconds to play.
• Shumate made one of two free throws with 4.6 seconds left for a 68-66 advantage, but CMU wasn't able to get a shot off before the final buzzer.
• Toledo shot 55.2 percent in the final 20 minutes.