TOLEDO, OH – Toledo topped the 100-point plateau in Savage Arena against an NCAA Division I opponent for the first time in nearly 12 years as the Rockets cruised to a 102-68 triumph over Bethune-Cookman. UT's last 100-point home outing against a Division I foe was a 103-66 victory over Wright State on Dec. 22, 2003.
Junior guard
Jonathan Williams paced the Rocket attack with 21 points. Joining UT's leading scorer in double figures were freshman forward
Nate Navigato (season-high 20 pts.), junior forward
Zach Garber (career-high 17 pts.), freshman guard
Jaelan Sanford (16 pts.) and sophomore guard
Stuckey Mosley (10 pts.). Garber also grabbed a career-best eight rebounds, while Sanford notched a season-high six rebounds and six assists.
Toledo shot 54.8 percent from the field, including a season-best 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from behind the three-point arc. The Rockets limited the Wildcats to a 35.2 shooting mark and a 15.4 three-point FG% (4-of-26), both season lows for a UT opponent.
Toledo dished out a season-high 28 assists, matching the fifth-best total in school history, and committed just eight turnovers.
Navigato, who hit 6-of-9 three-point shots in the contest, sparked the Rockets to an early 18-11 lead by knocking down four of his first five long-distance attempts. Garber added to UT's 10-0 spurt with a pair of buckets for the Midnight Blue and Gold's first double-digit cushion, 22-11, with 10:43 remaining in the first half.
Navigato and Sanford buried back-to-back treys later in the half for a 42-24 margin at the 4:29 mark before UT settled for a 51-33 halftime lead.
A pair of Sanford treys helped the Rockets extend their lead to 64-37 in the first three minutes of the second stanza.
Toledo led by as many as 36 points the remainder of the half and didn't allow the Wildcats to come closer than 24 points down the stretch.
The Rockets return to action on Monday, Dec. 21 against North Carolina A&T (5-8). Tip-off time from Savage Arena is 7:00 p.m.
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