Isaiah Adams sank two free throws with 12.7 seconds left, and the University of Toledo prevented Ball State from getting a shot off on its final two possessions for a thrilling 67-66 victory on Tuesday as the Rockets avoided their first three-game Mid-American Conference losing streak in five seasons.
Jermahri Hill, Jr., made a driving layup over Javan Simmons at the buzzer that was initially called good. Ball State coach Michael Lewis shook Tod Kowalczyk’s hand, and Toledo players slumped to the floor dejectedly. But after a lengthy replay review, officials Lamont Simpson, Jourdan Love, and Tariq Lucas waved it off.
An irate Lewis shouted expletives as he rewatched the final sequence on an iPad in the bowels of Savage Arena.
Adams, who didn’t start Tuesday for the first time since his sophomore year at Central Florida, scored a game-high 18 points, helping the Rockets rally from a double-digit deficit.
Sonny Wilson and Sam Lewis each scored 12 points, and Simmons had nine rebounds.
Toledo scored the first nine points of the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit in a little more than two minutes.
Hill and Payton Sparks each scored 16 points for the Cardinals, who had zero field goals the final 3:16.
Ball State made nine of its first 15 shots and was 13 of 26 in the first half, building a 35-28 halftime lead.
UT started 4 of 15 and trailed by double digits four times. They had eight offensive rebounds and only five second-chance points.
Sam Lewis sparked a rally midway through the first half with eight consecutive points, trimming the Ball State lead to two points. But the Cardinals were back up by 11 less than four minutes later.
STAT TO KNOW
Toledo scored 19 points off turnovers, with 14 coming in the second half.
QUOTABLE
“I shook hands [with the officials] and came off. They’re not gonna talk to you. They’re not held accountable. There should be a public response to what they saw, but I doubt we get that. With me saying that, I’m sure we’ll get punished in some way, shape, or form, and I’m sure Saturday's game will be a complete debacle.” — Lewis to Zach Carter of the Ball State Daily News
UP NEXT
The Rockets host Bowling Green in the Battle of I-75 at 6 p.m. Friday. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. Toledo won at BGSU 84-71 in January.
First Published February 19, 2025, 2:11 a.m.
