Rockets Return Home to Host Akron on Friday Evening

QUICK HITTERS
•   Toledo (8-6, 0-1 MAC) returns home for the first time in over two weeks when it hosts Akron (7-6, 0-1 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 5 in a Mid-American Conference cross-division matchup. Tip-off time from Savage Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. with the game being televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network. Following Friday's contest, UT will host West Division pre-season favorite Western Michigan (9-5, 1-0 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
•   UT saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 104-94 setback at Buffalo in its MAC opener on Tuesday. Senior guard Tre'Shaun Fletcher led the Rockets with 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting but played just 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Junior guard Jaelan Sanford added 18 points and a team-high five assists, while sophomore forward Willie Jackson registered his first collegiate double-double with a career-best 16 points and 10 rebounds.
•   Toledo posted a 54.1 FG% and a 50.0 three-point FG% (10-of-20) vs. the Bulls and held a 37-32 advantage on the boards but couldn't overcome 16 turnovers. Buffalo committed just six miscues and registered 53.8 FG% and knocked down 27-of-31 FT attempts.
•   Fletcher is the lone individual to appear in the MAC's Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists with 18.1 ppg (3rd), 8.4 rpg (2nd) and 3.6 apg (10th).
•   Joining Fletcher among the MAC scoring leaders are Sanford, junior forward Nate Navigato and sophomore center Luke Knapke with 16.1 ppg (10th), 13.9 ppg (21st) and 11.4 ppg (30th), respectively.
•   Toledo is the only team in the MAC with two players among the league's Top 10 scorers.
•   Navigato and freshman guard Marreon Jackson are the MAC's top two outside shooters with 44.8 and 44.2 three-point field-goal percentages, respectively. Knapke is tied for third in the MAC with 1.5 bpg and is fifth in the league with a 56.4 field-goal percentage. Marreon Jackson also is fifth with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio.
•   As a team, Toledo tops the MAC with its 39.7 three-point FG% and 1.2 assist/turnover ratio and is second with 15.5 apg. The Rockets are also third with a 73.1 FT%.
•   Akron will be looking to bounce back from an 87-75 defeat at Western Michigan in its MAC opener. The Zips lead the MAC with 10.1 treys per game and are second with a 38.1 three-point FG%. Akron also ranks last in FG% defense (45.8) and free-throw percentage (66.5) and is 10th in turnover margin (-1.8).
•   Sophomore forward Daniel Utomi is tied for fourth in league scoring at 18.0 ppg. Graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier and Utomi lead the MAC in three-pointers per game with 3.4 and 3.3 treys, respectively.

POST-GAME NOTES FROM TOLEDO'S 104-94 LOSS AT BUFFALO
• UT shot 50 percent or better for a third-straight contest with its season-high 54.1 FG%. Over their last three contests, the Rockets are shooting 53.1 percent (93-of-175) from the field and 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from three-point range. In addition, UT is shooting even better in the second half of this stretch with a 65.0 FG% (52-of-80) and 59.3 3PTFG% (16-of-27).
• The Rockets out-rebounded the Bulls by a 37-32 margin, marking the sixth time in its last seven contests that UT has won the battle of the boards.
• UT lost for the first time in nine outings this season when outshooting its opponent from the field.
• Toledo lost for just the second time in six meetings vs. Buffalo and still leads its series vs. the Bulls by a 15-10 margin.
• Junior forward Nate Navigato has been red-hot since a 3-of-10 (0-of-6 3fg) outing vs. Marshall on Dec. 9. Since that contest, Navigato has a 59.5 FG% (22-of-37) with a 64.0 3PTFG% (16-of-25)..
• Senior guard Tre'Shaun Fletcher has rebounded from his first two single-digit scoring outings in a Rocket uniform with a team-high 21 points at Penn and a team-best 27 points at Buffalo.
• Sophomore forward Willie Jackson posted career highs in points (16), rebounds (10) and assists (4) for his first collegiate double-double.

THREE-POINT PRODUCTION
        One of Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk's goals for the Rockets heading into the 2017-18 campaign was to increase their three-point field goals. Toledo has done just that this season by converting 135-of-340 attempts for a 39.7 conversion rate, a mark that sits at the top of the MAC.
        UT's 9.6 treys per game rank fourth in the MAC and are well ahead of last year's average of 7.7 three-pointers per game. The Rockets posted a 36.2 three-point field-goal percentage last year.
        Toledo's 14 three-point field goals vs. Saint Joseph's in its season opener were tied for third-most in school history. The school record is 17 vs. Wright State on Dec. 22, 2003 with UT also hitting 16 vs. Marshall on Jan. 12, 2000.
        UT has also posted double-digit trey totals with 12-of-25 totals at Syracuse (Nov. 22), 11-of-31 totals at Cornell (Nov. 24), 12-of-29 totals at Kansas (Nov. 28), 10-of-27 totals vs. Texas Southern (Dec. 2), 11-of-25 totals at Detroit Mercy (Dec. 6), 10-of-29 totals vs. Wright State (Dec. 16), 10-of-26 totals vs. Jackson State (Dec. 20), 10-of-25 totals vs. Cleveland State (Dec. 23) and 10-of-20 totals at Buffalo (Jan. 2)

Rockets Return Home to Host Akron on Friday Evening

Players Mentioned

Marreon Jackson

Willie Jackson

Luke Knapke

Nate Navigato

Jaelan Sanford

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