Rapid Reaction: Central Michigan 77, Toledo 69
The Central Michigan men's basketball team has snapped its three-game losing streak.
The Chippewas defeated the Toledo Rockets 77-69 on Tuesday night at McGuirk Arena. CMU improves to 14-12 (7-6 in the Mid-American Conference) and pending a Ball State loss can move into a first-place tie in the MAC West Division with the Cardinals and Rockets.
If Northern Illinois wins, they will also be in a first-place tie.
Junior guard Braylon Rayson led the Chippewas with 26 points while senior guard Chris Fowler added 16.
Rayson's big first half
Rayson entered the game as the Chippewas' second-leading scorer (15.7 points per game) behind Chris Fowler (15.8) for the first time this season. It did not take him long to get back into the top spot.
The Dallas native, donning black sneakers, made six 3-pointers in the first half and had 20 points after the first 20 minutes. In Saturday's loss to Ball State, he only had three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Rayson was four points shy from tying his career high and shot 8-of-16 from the floor. He tied his career high of seven made 3-pointers on 11 attempts.
Boothe keys Rockets in second half
Nathan Boothe came into the game averaging 18.9 points per game for the Rockets. The Chippewas limited his touches.
After the first half, Boothe was only 1-of-5 from the field with six points, with four of them coming off free throws. In addition, he turned the ball over three times in the first half.
However, the senior center scored 17 points in the second half as the Rockets inched closer to a comeback. Boothe's team trailed by three with less than a minute remaining.
Boothe led Toledo with 23 points.
Kozinski, Meyer both sustain injuries
With 11:34 left to play, redshirt sophomore guard Josh Kozinski exited the game with an injury and needed help from a trainer. He went to the locker room but returned to the bench shortly after. He returned with 5:02 remaining and the Chippewas leading 65-62.
Late in the second half, sophomore forward Luke Meyer went to the floor and was holding his knee. A timeout was called with 3:22 remaining. Meyer went to the bench and fellow sophomore forward DaRohn Scott checked back into the game with four fouls. Meyer did not return.
Kozinski finished the game with six points on 2-of-5 shooting from three in 17 minutes. Meyer finished with five points, two rebounds and three turnovers.
What's next
The Chippewas will make the trek to the west side of the state as they battle rival Western Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday in Kalamazoo.
The Broncos (10-15, 4-8 MAC) are in last place in the MAC West Division. Thomas Wilder paces WMU with 18.2 points per game, including 20.6 in conference play.
