MAC Freshman of the Year Leads Rockets Past Bowling Green, 77-76, in Tournament Quarterfinals

MAC Freshman of the Year Leads Rockets Past Bowling Green, 77-76, in Tournament Quarterfinals

Freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Toledo men's basketball team to a 77-76 victory over Bowling Green in MAC Tournament quarterfinal action at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Thursday.

No. 4 seed Toledo (18-14) survived a scare when No. 5 seed Bowling Green (18-14) missed a driving layup at the buzzer.

With the victory, the Rockets now advance to a semifinal matchup on today, March 13, at 5 p.m., with No. 8 seed UMass (17-15), which defeated No. 1 seed Miami, 87-83. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network and will also be carried on the Rocket Radio Network.

Blyden, the MAC Freshman of the Year, made 8-of-10 shots from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point range and added six rebounds. Junior Sonny Wilson added 12 points, and senior Sean Craig, junior Austin Parks and sophomore Mynor Strong put up 10 points apiece. As a team, Toledo shot 31-of-61 (50.8%), including 8-of-16 from three-point range.

Toledo built a 12-point lead in the first half before BGSU rallied to take a 38-37 halftime margin. Toledo responded to take a 71-60 lead before the Falcons rallied to go ahead, 74-73, with 44 seconds left. Blyden and Wilson answered with a pair of free throws each in the waning seconds that stood up as the winning points.

"Overall, just proud of our effort. I thought we had a great start, though we gave up the 12-point lead in the first half," said Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk. "I can't say enough about these two guards (Blyden and Wilson). They are special. We didn't play great, but we found a way to win. That's been a motto for us. Those special situations at the end were on point."