by Toledo Rockets men’s basketball held off a late push from Bowling Green Falcons men’s basketball to escape with a 77-76 victory Thursday in the Mid-American Conference tournament quarterfinals.
Leroy Blyden Jr. scored points and knocked down all four of his 3-point attempts to lead fourth-seeded Toledo, which shot 50% from the arc and survived a strong offensive afternoon.
Bowling Green shot 52.6% from the field and placed five players in double figures, but came up just short in the closing moments.
Javontae Campbell led the No. 5 Falcons with 16 points and four assists in 21 minutes. Justin Thomas added 14 points, while Troy Glover II scored 13 and pulled down eight rebounds.
Sonny Wilson added 12 points and seven rebounds for Toledo, and Sean Craig and Mynor Strong each scored 10. Austin Parks chipped in 10 points and six rebounds inside as the Rockets finished with a slight 34-31 rebounding advantage.
Bowling Green kept the pressure on throughout the second half behind balanced scoring and strong interior play from Sam Towns, who grabbed nine rebounds and scored nine points. The Falcons also got six points from Mayar Wol on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting night.
Toledo countered with efficient offense, shooting 50.8% from the field and connecting on eight 3-pointers, including from Blyden Jr., which helped the Rockets maintain a narrow edge down the stretch.
Despite matching Toledo with 30 made field goals and dishing out 15 assists, Bowling Green could not overcome Toledo’s outside shooting and rebounding advantage as the Rockets advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals.
