Looking to win two consecutive games for the first time this season, men’s basketball took on Toledo on Saturday.

Despite their strong play and resilient effort, the Huskies (5-15, 3-5 MAC) fell to the Rockets (9-10, 5-3 MAC), 69-65.

The Huskies found themselves bouncing back all game long as they found themselves trailing 22-11 with 8:09 remaining in the first half. The Rockets pushed their lead to 11 thanks to a 14-5 run.

After falling behind 11 points, the Huskies surged for six straight points to make the score, 22-17. From there, the Huskies tied the game, 24-24 on a 3-point field goal from freshman guard J.J. Cravatta.

Toledo however, would close out the half on a 4-0 run and lead 28-24 going into the locker room.

“I thought when we tied it at 24-24, before the half, I felt blessed,” said coach Mark Montgomery. “I said, ‘Hey, if we can go into the locker room with it tied, or down two, we’re in a good position.’ And even though we were down four we were still in a good position.”

In the first half, turnovers hurt the Huskies, as they turned the ball over 10 times leading to seven points off turnovers for the Rockets.

“Well, it got them out in transition,” Montgomery said. “So they got a chance to get some easy baskets and they got us in foul trouble, because then all of a sudden you turn it over, now you have to try to run them down and usually that’s a foul. But I thought early, it hurt.”

In the second half, the score remained tight. The Huskies pulled the score to within three numerous times, but the Rockets always came up with a big shot to increase their lead.

The Huskies finally tied the game, 52-52, when freshman guard Travon Baker converted a 3-point play. Then at the 5:57 mark, junior forward Aksel Bolin hit a free-throw to give the Huskies a 55-54 lead.

After Toledo answered with a free-throw to tie the game, sophomore wing Abdel Nader hit a 3-pointer to give the Huskies the lead 58-55. This was the Huskies’ last lead of the game.

At the end of the day, the game came down to free throws, as Toledo went 27 for 35 from the line and the Huskies went 17 for 26.

“We’re second in the country in free-throw shooting,” said Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk. “So, I mean, we’re a team that gets to the free throw line a lot.”

The Huskies were led by Nader, who recorded his second consecutive double-double with a team-leading 19 points and 11 rebounds. Bolin added in 18 points while Cravatta scored 10 points.