All five starters scored in double figures and Toledo held off Loyola Chicago's comeback effort to advance to the GCI Great Alaska Shootout. The Rockets beat the Ramblers 82-74 Friday at the Alaska Airlines Center.
"It means a great deal to our program to be playing for a Great Alaska Shootout championship," Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We don't take that lightly. We understand the prestige and the tradition and the names and the teams that have come before us to play in a championship game. We're excited about that opportunity."
Guard Jonathan "Jon-Jon" Williams score 20 points to lead all scorers for his second straight game and guard Stuckey Mosley added 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Rockets. Mosley was named player of the game.
Nate Navigato, Jaelan Sanford and Nathan Boothe, who scored a triple-double Thursday, also finished in double figures.
"We always trust everybody on the team so it's easy to make the next pass," Mosley said of his team's unselfishness.
Toledo scored the first seven points of the game, but back-to-back 3-pointers by the Ramblers brought Loyola Chicago back within one.
The teams continued to battle until a scary moment midway through the first period.
Fans held their breath after two Ramblers collided in a scramble for a loose ball, which ended up in both of them rolling on the court in pain. Guard Earl Peterson popped up after a few seconds, but forward Montel James stayed on the court for several minutes before walking off under his own power.
"Anytime you start with head injuries — it was a nasty fall — that's way beyond this game," Loyola Chicago coach Porter Moser said. "Those two are awesome kids … I was relieved they were both alright because it was a pretty nasty fall."
Later, both players were cleared to return to the game and James nailed a long 2-pointer that sparked a 12-4 run to end the half.
The teams went into halftime deadlocked at 25-25.
Toledo commanded the lead in the second half, but the Rockets could never shake the Ramblers. Loyola Chicago stuck around with solid perimeter play, especially by guard Ben Richardson off the bench. Richardson went 6 of 7 from beyond the arc to finish with 21 points.
Fellow guards Devon Turk, Milton Doyle and Peterson also finished in double figures, but the Ramblers' big men struggled in the paint compared to Toledo's.
The Rockets shot 52 percent from the floor.
"I'm just proud of our effort tonight," Kowalczyk said. "I thought our intensity, particularly in the second half, was really good."
Toledo returns for the championship against Middle Tennessee at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Loyola Chicago plays in the third/fifth-place game at 5:30 p.m.