TOLEDO – Ohio could not slow down Toledo, which pulled away in the second half with a 96-82 victory to wrap up the regular season Friday night at Savage Arena.

The Rockets (17-14, 10-8 MAC) shot 59.7% on the night and put five players in double figures in a balanced effort. They were led by Javan Simmons with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Sam Lewis scored 20 points and had five boards. Seth Hubbard tallied 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Elmore James went 6-for-8 from long range and scored 20 points, while Shareef Mitchell finished with 18 points for the Bobcats (16-15, 10-8 MAC). Jackson Paveletzke added 15 points.

Ohio matched Toledo’s high-scoring pace for most of the first half and went up 39-35 on a James 3-pointer with 3:21 left. But the Rockets finished the half on a 12-2 run and then carried that momentum into the second half.

James scored a layup that accounted for the only points for the Bobcats during the run and tied the game at 41. Hubbard, Sonny Wilson and Andre Lorentsson scored baskets to end the half and give Toledo a six-point advantage.

Buckets from Wilson and Simmons to begin the second half extended the run and pushed the lead to 51-41. Toledo went up 60-49 on a Hubbard layup, but Ohio eventually worked its way closer. Ajay Sheldon’s free throws with 8:09 left cut the deficit to 70-65, and then after a Simmons layup, James connected from deep again to make it a four-point game.

That was as close as it got. Simmons had a putback dunk and then a layup to push the lead back up to eight. The margin was just six on an AJ Clayton layup that made it 80-74 with 4:38 left to play, but Toledo scored the next six points as part of a 16-4 run that put it away.

Clayton scored 11 points, while Vic Searls had nine points and six rebounds. Elijah Elliott had seven points and a team-leading eight rebounds, but he was just 2-for-11 shooting. AJ Brown missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury.

Wilson scored 13 points, while Ford had 10 points. Isaiah Adams had eight points and five assists for Toledo, which swept the season series against Ohio.

The Rockets cooled off some after shooting a blistering 67.7% in the first half. The Bobcats finished at 49.2% for the game.

A win would have made Ohio the No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament but instead, the Bobcats are the No. 5 seed and get the Rockets again in the first round at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Rocket Arena.