Freshman guard Marreon Jackson nailed a three-point field goal with nine seconds left to give No. 2 seed Toledo a dramatic 64-63 victory over No. 3 seed Eastern Michigan in semifinal Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament action at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Friday.
Jackson’s clutch three-pointer was his eighth triple of the evening, a career-high, helping him rack up a career-best 26 points on the evening.
Freshman guard Marreon Jackson scored a career-high 26 points, including eight three-pointers. He played all but two minutes of the game.
Toledo (23-10) will play No. 1 seed Buffalo (25-8) in the MAC Championship Game Saturday, March 10, at 7 p.m. in Cleveland.
Jackson’s huge game was especially vital as Toledo was forced to play without senior guard and MAC Player of the Year Tre’Shaun Fletcher, who came out with a knee injury after making a layup on the Rockets’ first possession of the game. His status for Saturday’s game is unknown.
Another Jackson, sophomore forward Willie Jackson, added a career-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Rockets.
Eastern Michigan (21-12) was led by junior guard Paul Jackson’s 26 points.
