Toledo pulls away late, beats Central Michigan 76-72

Jan 27, 2019, 02:31 am

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Jaelan Sanford scored 22 points, Luke Knapke added 21 including a key dunk with 15 seconds left as Toledo held off Central Michigan for a 76-72 victory on Saturday night.

Sanford's jumper gave the Rockets a 69-67 lead with 1:48 to play. Shawn Roundtree missed a layup on the Chippewas' next possession, then Marreon Jackson threw an alley-oop pass from the top of the arc to Knapke, who finished the play with a two-handed slam.

Roundtree split a pair of free throws to pull the Chippewas to 72-70 with eight seconds left. Nate Navigato's two free throws stretched the Toledo lead back to four points with six seconds remaining.

Marreon Jackson added 14 points and Willie Jackson had 12 for Toledo (16-4, 4-3 Mid-American Conference), which rebounded from an 87-85 overtime loss at home to Kent State on Tuesday night that snapped a three-game winning streak.

Larry Austin Jr. had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead Central Michigan (14-5, 3-3), which has lost four of its last five games. Roundtree finished with 14 points.