Despite cutting the University of Toledo's 21-point second-half lead to one, Rockets' junior guard Justin Ingram, the Mid-American Conference leading free-throw shooter, drained a pair of charity shots with 9.4 seconds remaining to help No. 7 seeded UT to the 78-77 upset over No. 2 seeded and West Division Champion, Northern Illinois University in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals at the Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday afternoon. The loss marks NIU's fifth this season by one point.

"We definitely showed a lot of character and heart to come back the way we did," NIU head coach Rob Judson said. "In the first half we dug a very deep hole with Toledo's pressure defense and 14 turnovers."

The Huskies did everything they could in the final 20 minutes, as they shot 59.4% (19-for-32) in the stanza for a season-best 54 points.

UT senior guard Sammy Villegas (4 treys) and junior forward Florentino Valencia led a potent inside-outside combination as the duo each scored 18 points on the afternoon. Ingram and Keonta Howell each added 15 points in the Rockets' win.

With the victory, Toledo improves to 19-10 overall and await the winner of No. 3 University of Akron / No. 6 Western Michigan University in the MAC semifinals at 8 p.m. (CST) on Friday (March 10) night. NIU falls to 17-11 on the campaign.

NIU senior forward Todd Peterson scored a game-high 21 points for the Huskies, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Those charity shots helped extend Peterson's consecutive free-throw streak to 33, breaking the previous record of 32 that he had shared with Willie Hanson (1967). Junior guard Mike McKinney added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists while senior guard Cory Sims added 11 points.

The Huskies found themselves behind, thanks in large part to a first half that featured 14 NIU turnovers that led to 11 points for Toledo and a 39-23 Rockets' lead heading into the intermission. Toledo extended that lead to 21 following an Ingram three-pointer at the 17:35 mark, giving the Rockets the 48-27 advantage.

NIU began its comeback attempt and fought back to within three points at 70-67 with 1:35 left in the contest following a trifecta of Peterson free throws. Ingram, however, seemed to put the collective dagger in the Huskies' heart with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving Toledo the 73-67 lead with 42 seconds left. NIU answered with another pair of free throws from Peterson, only to be countered by three UT charity tosses, extending the Rockets' lead to 76-69 with 24 seconds left.

The Huskies, however, would not go away quietly as both Maestranzi and freshman forward Craig Reichel (9 points) each hit a pair of treys in the final 20 seconds of the contest to cut Toledo's lead to 76-75 with 10 seconds left. Immediately following Reichel's trey, the Huskies were forced to foul Ingram for the winning free throws.

NIU had a chance to tie the game in regulation as Maestranzi drove the ball up the court with less than nine seconds remaining. The Bartlett, IL native's three-point attempt went array, but McKinney tipped the ball in for the final score.

(For further information, please contact Matt Brendich) -NIU-