By GREG MENGELT
Kooper Jacobi, who helped lead Silver Creek to a pair of state championships, scored two points in four minutes Thursday. The freshman’s basket with 12:25 left in the first half gave Toledo a 13-12 lead.
Jacobi and the Rockets (26-6) face fourth-seed Akron (22-9) on Friday at 5 p.m. That game will air on CBS Sports Network. The winner will battle Ohio (24-8) or Kent State (22-9) in Saturday’s conference championship game. The champion will qualify for next week’s NCAA Tournament.
Junior guard RayJ Dennis was the hero of Thursday’s win. After Harrison Henderson gave the Chippewas a 71-70 lead with a 3-point play with 22 seconds left, Dennis hit the game-winning layup with 12 seconds to go.
Henderson, who led the Chippewas with 21 points and 10 rebounds, missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer and the season ended for 7-23 Central Michigan.
Junior forward Setric Milliner Jr. led the Rockets with 22 points and five boards. Sophomore point guard Ryan Rollins added 14 points, six bounds and three assists and Denis added 13 points, four boards and three assists for Toledo, which has now won six in a row and eight of their last nine.
