MUNCIE, Ind. – Toledo nearly rallied from a 20-point deficit and overcame foul trouble but saw its nine-game winning streak snapped in a 93-83 Mid-American Conference defeat at Ball State on Friday night in Worthen Arena.

"I couldn't be more proud of how we came back after Ball State started out exceptionally hot," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We showed mental toughness, stayed positive and stuck together when we were down."

Sophomore Ryan Rollins and junior Setric Millner Jr. led Toledo (18-5, 10-2 MAC) with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Juniors JT Shumate (12 pts.) and RayJ Dennis (11 pts.) also scored in double digits. Shumate was limited to 26 minutes due to picking up three fouls in the first half and his fourth less than two minutes into the second stanza.

"We weathered the storm, and we were able to do it without JT," Kowalczyk said. "It was wrong for JT to be sitting on the bench for as much as he did."

Freshman Payton Sparks led the Cardinals (11-11, 6-5 MAC) with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Ball State was red-hot in the first half, shooting 59.4 percent and finishing with a 50.8 shooting mark. The Cardinals hit 14-of-29 three-point shots, the most by a Rocket opponent this season. Toledo shot 44.2 percent from the field and 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) beyond the arc. Millner buried a career-high five triples, while Rollins and Shumate each connected for a pair.

Toledo held a 40-38 advantage on the boards with redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss leading the way with nine rebounds. The Rockets also committed a season-low four turnovers.

Toledo fell behind 37-17 with 7:48 left in the first half but cut its deficit to 51-45 at halftime. The Rockets then took a 67-66 lead with 9:06 remaining and were within 76-73 with 4:38 to play. Ball State didn't let its lead slip any lower though en route to the 10-point victory.

Toledo is back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7:00 p.m. when it hosts Ohio (18-3, 9-1 MAC) in Savage Arena in a battle for first place.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Ryan Rollins hit his first two three-point shots of the game to give the Rockets an early 6-3 lead.
• The Cardinals connected on five of their first six attempts from downtown to take a 21-13 advantage just under seven minutes into the game.
• Ball State put together an 8-0 run to extend its cushion to 37-17 7:48 before halftime.
• Toledo quickly climbed within single digits, 39-30 with a 13-2 spurt over the next three-and-a-half minutes.
• RayJ Dennis' coast-to-coast layup brought the Rockets within 51-45 at intermission.

SECOND HALF

• Toledo made its initial push early in the second half, putting together an 11-0 spurt and knotting the contest at 56-56 on Ra'Heim Moss three-point play just over five minutes after halftime.
• The Cardinals restored their lead back to eight, but the Rockets responded again. Toledo scored nine straight points and took its only lead (67-66) of the second half on a Moss layup with 9:06 remaining.
• A pair of Setric Millner Jr. free throws cut Ball State's margin to 72-71 with six minutes left but the Cardinals answered with a 9-2 spurt to gain control.
• Toledo climbed within four points on three occasions in the final three minutes but couldn't draw any closer.