CMU men lose to Toledo, drop sixth-straight game
Toledo threw a wrench in Central Michigan's chances to earn a first-round bye in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
The Chippewas (13-14, 6-8 MAC) now have a six-game losing streak with a 93-81 loss to Toledo (14-14, 6-9 MAC) on Tuesday in McGuirk Arena.
CMU still owns a home game in the first round of the tournament if it is not able to work its way to fast-track to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Toledo’s junior guard Marreon Jackson took control over CMU and scored a career-high 37 points.
“We knew we had our hands full, and obviously Jackson is an incredible player with incredible talent,” said CMU coach Keno Davis. “We didn’t have any answer for him tonight.”
The game started with Jackson scoring in the first nine seconds. Senior forward Rob Montgomery immediately answered back for CMU with a triple.
The Chippewas and Rockets went back-and-forth the entire first half. CMU’s largest lead in the first was 13 while Toledo’s largest lead was seven.
Montgomery led the first half with 11 points, not to mention also having a massive dunk after a breakaway at 15:34. Junior guard Devontae Lane had eight points after the first.
“My teammates found me early (in the game) and I was able to get a couple of shots to go down," Montgomery said. “I found a rhythm and I thought I had a mismatch with (Luke) Knapke on me; he’s a slower guy so I tried to use my speed and quickness to get around him.”
In the second half, the Chippewas tied the score at 60-60 with 13 minutes left. However, Toledo quickly gained a seven-point lead in the next minute and a half.
After a CMU timeout with 11:35 to play, Montgomery came out with a quick basket. Lane then added a triple in the next possession, making the score 67-65.
The Rockets held on to the lead for the rest of the game, handing the Chippewas their sixth-straight loss.
Senior David DiLeo and Rob Montgomery both led the team with 19 points. Lane finished with 18 points.
“They came into our gym and outplayed us,” DiLeo said. “We just have to watch film, learn from it, and continue to move forward.”
The Chippewas shot 54 percent from the field and 62 percent from the 3-point line. Toledo outscored the Chippewas in both halves at 47-40 in the first and 46-41 in the second.
CMU travels to Miami (Ohio) for its next game at 7 p.m. Thursday in Millett Hall. In the teams’ previous matchup, the Chippewas defeated the Redhawks 93-82 on Jan. 4 in McGuirk Arena.
Thursday's game is a makeup from its original Jan. 28 game after the game was postponed due to a Coronavirus concern in Oxford, Ohio.
