Senior center Nathan Boothe topped four Rockets in double figures with 23 points.
Joining UT’s big man in double digits was sophomore guard Stuckey Mosley, who tied his career high for a second-straight outing with 19 points. Junior guard Jonathan Williams tallied 14 points, while freshman guard Jaelan Sanford added 10 points.
Junior forward Zach Garber grabbed . . .
Junior guard Zack Denny paced Bowling Green with 19 points. He was joined in double digits by senior forward Spencer Parker (16 pts.), junior guard Wes Alcegaire (12 pts.) and junior guard Ismail Ali (11 pts.).
The Rockets shot 49.0 percent (25-of-51) from the field and a sparkling season-best 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from three-point range. BGSU posted a 44.1 FG percentage (26-of-59) and was 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) behind the arc. UT also held the upper hand at the charity stripe, knocking down 23-of-30 attempts (76.7 percent) compared to the Falcons converting 17-of-24 (70.8 percent).
The contest was marked by runs throughout beginning, with Toledo scoring the game’s first seven points. BG responded with a six-point spurt, only to see UT answer back with a 10-1 burst capped off by freshman guard Nick Rogers’ free throw for a 16-7 cushion. Denny’s layup then tied the score at 16-16 with 11:02 to play.
A pair of Mosley treys then keyed a string of 13 straight Rocket points for a 29-16 lead 8:02 before halftime. Bowling Green proceeded to outscore UT, 13-3, in the final five minutes of the half to knot the score at 40-40.
The Falcons took their largest lead of the evening, 46-42, following Parker’s three-point play just over two minutes into the second stanza. Mosley, Williams and Sanford hit three straight baskets to put UT back up 51-48 with 15:58 remaining.
The Rockets took the lead for good with their final spurt of the night, a 10-0 burst for a 66-56 lead at the 8:59 mark. With Boothe sitting on the bench, Garber drained a pair of free throws and Sanford followed with a baseline jumper. Mosley and freshman forward Nate Navigato followed with back-to-back treys for a lead UT wouldn’t relinquish.
Parker hit a pair of free throws to cut the Falcons’ deficit to 75-73 with 1:16 to play, but Boothe answered with a pair of his own 20 seconds later. Parker couldn’t convert on a shot in the paint on BG’s next possession, and a Garber free throw bumped UT’s lead to 78-73 with 37 seconds left. Denny’s trey rimmed out with 23 ticks on the clock, and UT closed out the win by hitting three of its final four free throws.
Toledo returns to action on Friday, Jan. 22 with a trip to DeKalb, IL to face Northern Illinois. Tip-off time is set for 6:30 p.m. EST with the contest being televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network. Bowling Green returns to action Saturday when it hosts Kent State (4 p.m. ET).
(Courtesy of UT Athletics)