BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – All five starters scored in double digits for a second game in a row and Toledo extended its winning streak to 11 on Saturday night with a 91-86 triumph over arch-rival Bowling Green (10-17, 4-10 MAC) in the Stroh Center.

The victory gives the Rockets their longest MAC winning streak ever in a single season and keeps UT (21-6, 12-2 MAC) in a tie with Kent State (22-5, 12-2 MAC) at the top of the Mid-American Conference. UT's 11-game winning streak is the third longest in the nation behind Eastern Washington (17) and Oral Roberts (12).

"That was a heck of a college basketball game, and we knew we would get their best shot," said Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk after the Rockets defeated the Falcons for the fourth-straight game. "We played frustrated in the first half after missing foul shots and committing seven turnovers. Once we settled into Rocket Basketball by taking care of the ball and getting some stops, we forced them to make big plays. Sometimes they did and that prevented us from getting a lot of separation."

Junior RayJ Dennis led Toledo with 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. He was joined in double figures by senior JT Shumate (18 pts.), junior Dante Maddox Jr. (14 pts.), sophomore Ra'Heim Moss (13 pts.) and senior Setric Millner Jr. (11 pts.).

"It's always tough to win on the road in this conference, especially tonight in a rivalry game," Dennis said. "The first half didn't go the way we expected, but we try to win any way we can. I think we got some crucial stops when it counted."

Junior Samari Curtis led the Falcons with 18 points and six assists.

Toledo shot 50.9 percent from the field, including a red-hot 62.1 percent in the final 20 minutes. The Rockets also knocked down 11-of-21 three-pointers (52.4%) and 24-of-28 free throws (85.7%). UT made its last 16 free throws after missing eight of its first 12 attempts at the charity stripe.

"Our free-throw shooting was huge tonight," Dennis said. "It's something we pride ourselves in and we strive to get better in that area every day in practice."

Toledo trailed 34-32 at halftime, marking the first time it was down at the intermission since its MAC opener vs. Ball State. The Rockets took the lead for good when Maddox Jr. buried a three-pointer to ignite an 8-0 spurt that gave UT a 62-54 advantage with 7:45 to play.

Bowling Green clawed back within 71-69 with 3:06 remaining, but Maddox hit another triple and Dennis converted a three-point play to provide Toledo the cushion it needed to secure the victory.

"Dante didn't take a shot in the first half but came up really big for us down the stretch," Kowalczyk said. "That's what he does and he's locked in defensively too. He's a smarter basketball player right now and understands what we're trying to do. He's all about winning and doing the right things."

Toledo returns home to host third-place Akron (19-8, 11-3 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Tip-off time in Savage Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Toledo's 11-game MAC winning streak surpassed the previous mark held by the 1999-2000 squad in the final 10 regular-season games of the 1999-2000 season.
• The Rockets swept the season series vs. Bowling Green for a second-straight year and won in the Stroh Center for a third year in a row.
• The Rockets are 44-9 in league play and 20-6 in conference road games since the start of the 2020-21 season.
• Toledo is 19-0 when leading with five minutes remaining and 4-0 in games decided by five points or less.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Bowling Green took an early 6-3 lead as Toledo missed six of its first seven shots.
• JT Shumate hit back-to-back three-pointers and Andre Lorentsson followed with another to give UT a 16-8 lead with 11:48 left in the half.
• The Falcons evened the score less than two minutes later with an 8-0 spurt capped off by Gabe O'Neal's three-point play.
• Neither team led by more than three points until the Falcons' Kaden Metheny and Samari Curtis connected on three-pointers to put Toledo down 30-24 just over four minutes before halftime.
• Toledo rallied to even the score at 30-30 2:25 before the half but ended up trailing at the break 34-32.
• The Rockets shot only 38.5% from the field in the first half, while the Falcons connected at a 52.0% clip.
• Shumate paced UT offensively with 11 points.

SECOND HALF

• Bowling Green opened up a 44-38 lead three minutes into the second half, but RayJ Dennis' triple evened the score at 46-46.
• EJ Farmer followed with a layup and Dennis added a floater to put UT in front 50-46 with 12:35 left.
• Dante Maddox Jr.'s three-pointer snapped a 54-54 tie with 9:06 remaining and started an 8-0 Rocket run to put UT ahead for good.
• The Falcons climbed within two points twice down the stretch, but UT answered immediately with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.
• Dennis hit a triple to give Toledo a 67-62 margin with 5:17 left, and then Maddox Jr. buried a trey for a 74-69 advantage with 2:46 to play.
• Toledo made all 12 of its free throws in the final 1:03, and Ra'Heim Moss accounted for the game's final points with a layup.
• Dennis led UT in the second half with 19 points.
• Maddox Jr. and Moss each tallied 13 points as Toledo outscored BG by a 59-52 margin in the final 20 minutes.