DAYTON, OH – Toledo rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes to post an 82-78 victory at Wright State on Saturday evening.
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Sophomore guard
Jaelan Sanford topped the Rockets' attack with a career-high 23 points, while senior guard
Jonathan Williams added 22 points. Senior forward
Steve Taylor Jr. produced his second-straight double-double with 14 points and a team-high 10 boards to go along with a team-high five assists.
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Junior guard Mark Alstork led the Raiders (2-1) with 39 points.
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Toledo (2-1) shot 52.5 percent from the field, while Wright State converted just under half of its field-goal attempts at 49.2 percent. The Rockets held a slight advantage on the perimeter, knocking down 7-of-19 three-point shots (36.8 percent) compared to the Raiders' 4-of-20 effort (20.0 percent).
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Williams began UT's late charge with a trey and breakaway layup on back-to-back possessions to cut the hosts' lead to 72-70 with 4:15 to play. Williams then evened the score at 74-74 with 1:44 left by knocking down a pair of free throws.
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Alstork answered with two free throws for the Raiders, but Williams put the Rockets ahead to stay, 77-76, with 1:07 remaining on a step-back three-pointer. UT was able to get defensive stops on its next two possessions and Sanford and Williams each converted two free throws to help the Rockets secure the victory.
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Toledo returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 22 when it travels to Murfreesboro, TN to battle Middle Tennessee. Tip-off time is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Coach Kowalczyk's Post-Game Interview
Jonathan Williams' Post-Game Interview