Toledo men’s basketball (18-14, 11-7 MAC) defeated Bowling Green (18-14, 9-9 MAC) 77-76 in an electric third edition of the Battle of I-75 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
“Those special situations at the end were on point and excellent,” said Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk. “I can’t say enough about the two guys sitting next to me (Leroy Blyden Jr. and Sonny Wilson).”
The Rockets had five players achieve double-digit scoring. Blyden, the MAC Freshman of the Year, led the way with 23 points, he had plenty of help from the rest of the starting lineup.
Blyden’s most important sidekick was Wilson, a junior guard. Wilson scored 12 points and stole the ball away from the Falcons three times.
Sophomore guard Mynor Strong, junior center Austin Parks and senior forward Sean Craig each scored 10 points and aided the Rockets offensive attack in a multitude of ways.
Strong went 4-for-10 from the field and added a 3-pointer and two steals in his performance.
“Props to [Strong], we put him into the starting lineup midway through the season,” said Kowalczyk. “He’s thrived in that role.”
Unlike the other players with scoring prowess, Parks didn’t attempt a 3-pointer. Parks shot 5-for-6 from the field and grabbed six rebounds to help the Rockets establish a paint presence.
Lastly, Craig was a healthy 4-for-8 from the field and made two 3-pointers. The starting lineup of Toledo accounted for 65 of their 77 points in their opening round victory.
Toledo will move on to face UMass in the MAC Tournament semifinals at 5 p.m. on Friday. Tune into Falcon Media Sports Network’s Trey Kennedy and Artie Abrego on Falcon Radio,streaming on bgfalconmedia.com.
