Junior forward Jordan Lauf kept UT’s final possession alive with an offensive rebound. He threw the ball out to sophomore guard Stuckey Mosley on the perimeter who then fed Sanford for the game-winner.
Senior center Nathan Boothe and Jonathan Williams carried the Rockets’ offense with 27 and 26 points, respectively. Boothe also grabbed a team-high nine boards and blocked a season-best three shots.
Senior forward Jordan Fouse paced three Phoenix in double figures with 15 points.
After a red-hot 55.2 shooting percentage in the first half, Toledo cooled off in the second stanza to finish at 46.6 percent for the contest. The Rockets converted 11-of-13 free-throw attempts
After holding a 43-41 edge at intermission, Toledo appeared ready to take control early in the second half with a 10-2 burst coming out of the locker room. The Phoenix answered though with 12 unanswered points for a 53-51 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining. Boothe ended the run with a three-point play to give the lead back to the Midnight Blue and Gold.
Neither team led by more than three points untie Fouse buried a trey for a 66-62 advantage with 4:26 left. Senior guard Carrington Love knocked down a jumper to put the Rockets down six. The hosts had an opportunity to extend their lead but Turner Botz missed the front end of a one-and-one.
Williams took advantage when he buried a trey with 2:17 left, cutting UT’s deficit to 68-65. Green Bay’s Charles Cooper could only make one of two free throws on the Phoenix’s next possession, and Boothe’s traditional three-point play on a 15-foot jumper made the score 69-68 with 1:29 left.
Both teams committed turnovers on their next two possessions. A three-point shot by Green Bay’s Khalil Small rimmed out with 13 ticks on the clock to set the stage for Sanford’s heroics.
Toledo will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 9 with a short trip up I-75 to face another Horizon League foe, Detroit. Tip-off time is 7:30 p.m. and is the second game of a doubleheader.
(Courtesy of UT Athletics)