CMU jumped out to a 13-point lead only to have it erased by a Toledo 12-0 run. The teams swapped roles early in the second half when Central Michigan erased a pair of seven-point deficits.

There were proverbial punches and counter punches.

Then, the wheels fell off.

After senior forward David DiLeo hit a 3-pointer to cut Toledo's lead to two with 9:14 to play, the Rockets unleashed a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to increase their cushion to 13. CMU attempted to claw back into the contest and cut the deficit to 10 with 33 seconds to play, but the Rockets delivered the knockout punch when two Chippewa misses resulted in an alley-oop dunk for Willie Jackson.

"They came into our gym and outplayed us," DiLeo said after the game. "It's unfortunate, it's not where we want to be, but it's the truth."

The loss is Central Michigan's sixth in a row. It did get some help, however, as Buffalo dropped its game with Ohio. Though the Chippewas lost both games against the Bulls, the Bulls currently hold the coveted fourth seed and the loss keeps CMU within range.

Buffalo still has to take on the top two teams in the conference, Akron and Bowling Green, and losses in those games would give the Chippewas a chance at that fourth spot should they win out.

Though CMU is still alive in terms of earning a bye, the team could just as easily find itself going on the road in the first round of the conference tournament. Just two games separate the seventh and 10th seed in the MAC. Currently, that 10th seed is Eastern Michigan, a team that knocked off the Chippewas 73-70 back on Feb. 11.

Central Michigan will get a chance to widen that gap when it travels to EMU on Saturday. It also will get another chance at Ball State, which sits in the fifth seed, on March 3. Before that, however, the Chippewas travel to Oxford to take on Miami (Ohio) on Thursday.

Before looking too far ahead, coach Keno Davis said he is focused on getting everyone in the right mindset. Following Tuesday's loss, Davis stressed the importance of keeping everyone's heads up during the tough stretch.

"As a coach, you talk to the team as a whole and you try to give them reasons why they should be positive," Davis said. "You also try to speak with them individually and you point out some of the mistakes and things they need to improve on more on an individual basis. At that time, when you're losing games or you've gone through a losing stretch, you don't want any player to be thinking he's the reason."

DiLeo, who has averaged 17 points during the six-game skid, remained positive and adamant that his squad is capable of doing damage in March.

"Win or lose, we've just got to stay together as a team," he said. "In a six-game losing streak, mentally a lot of people can go different places. We've got to make sure we're continuing to come together."

The Chippewas have shown what they can be at their best in wins over Ball State, Western Michigan and Bowling Green. They've now entered a free-falling stage.

Despite the struggles, the Chippewas' goals are still attainable.

"The beauty of college basketball is that our goal of an NCAA Tournament berth comes down to one week," DiLeo said. "We've just got to set ourselves up, continue to play, get momentum heading into that week and set ourselves up with a good seed."

Some say adversity helps growth. The Chippewas have been dealt their fair share of adversity in this losing streak and how they respond will dictate their performance.

Though they've fallen from their top spot in the conference, everything they want is still in front of them.

"Hopefully what we've gone through in this stretch makes us come together a little bit and we become a better team," Davis said. 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.

After sixth straight loss, Chippewas still looking to find ways to build momentum to MAC Tournament

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