Rockets Drop Heartbreaker to Bowling Green, 69-68

TOLEDO, Ohio – A cold shooting night was too much to overcome for the Toledo men’s basketball team in a 69-68 defeat to arch-rival Bowling Green on Friday night before a season-high 6,837 fans in Savage Arena.

Sophomore Sam Lewis led the Rockets (16-11, 9-5 MAC) with 21 points and his free throw gave UT a 68-67 lead with 21.6 seconds to play. Javontae Campbell, who scored a game-high 23 points, answered for the Falcons (11-16, 5-9 MAC) with the game-winning layup with just 1.7 seconds left.

QUOTING HEAD COACH TOD KOWALCZYK

“We usually have a run during a game but that never came tonight. Bowling Green’s zone was effective and we didn’t handle it well. We need to do a better job of trusting each other especially when it gets late in the shot clock. Now we have to get ready to go on the road for a game at Kent State on Tuesday.”

GAME RECAP

• FIRST HALF: Toledo trailed by as many as six points in the first half before heading to the locker room down by a 41-37 margin. Sam Lewis led the Rockets with 16 points. UT shot 44.1% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
• SECOND HALF: The second half saw 10 lead changes, but the Rockets never led by more than a point the entire contest. With Toledo trailing 67-62, Bryce Ford hit two free throws and a three-pointer to even the score at 67-67 with 2:23 to play. The Rockets had a chance to take the lead on their next two possessions but were whistled for offensive fouls. Lewis then hit one of two free throws with 21.6 seconds left for a one-point lead before Javontae Campbell laid in the game-winner.

ROCKET LEADERS

TEAM STATS
Toledo: 38.1 FG%, 29.6 3PTFG% (8-of-27), 80.0 FT% (12-of-15), 34 Reb., 14 Asst., 8 TO
Bowling Green: 46.7 FG%, 32.0 3PTFG% (8-of-25), 71.4 FT% (5-of-7), 42 Reb., 10 Asst., 15 TO

ROCKET ROUNDUP

• Toledo lost for the first time in eight games in a contest decided by four points or less.
• The Rockets split their season series vs. the Falcons for a second-straight season.
• Toledo committed just eight turnovers, marking the eighth straight game it has committed 10 or fewer miscues.
• Sam Lewis registered his seventh 20-point outing of the season.
• Bryce Ford grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Toledo will be on the road for two games next week. The Rockets will visit Kent State on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Buffalo on Saturday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m.