QUICK HITTERS
• Toledo (5-4) returns from a week-long break for final exams when it hosts Horizon League foe Wright State (6-4) on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2:00 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN3. Following today's contest, the Rockets will entertain Jackson State on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and visit Cleveland State on Saturday, Dec. 23 before taking a few days off for the holidays.
• UT is looking to bounce back from last Saturday's 93-87 home defeat to Marshall. Senior guard Tre'Shaun Fletcher scored a career-high 31 points for the Rockets thanks to an impressive 15-of-16 effort from the charity stripe. Sophomore center Luke Knapke was also a big contributor for Toledo with 18 points and a team-best 11 rebounds to post his second career double-double.
• Freshman guard Marreon Jackson dished out a season-high six assists, as UT collected 20 helpers on its 29 field goals. The Rockets were hurt, though, by 18 turnovers which Marshall turned into a 19-7 advantage in points off miscues.
• Fletcher is the lone individual to appear in the Mid-American Conference's Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists with 19.3 ppg (5th), 9.6 rpg (2nd) and 4.2 apg (T-6th).
• Joining Fletcher among the MAC scoring leaders are junior guard Jaelan Sanford, junior forward Nate Navigato and Knapke with 16.0 ppg (T-12th), 14.2 ppg (17th) and 12.4 ppg (25th), respectively. UT is the only school to have four individuals ranked among the Top 30 scorers in the conference.
• Knapke, who is the MAC's top shot blocker with 2.0 bpg, averaged 16.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg with an amazing 82.4 field-goal percentage (14-of-17) in two games last week. Jackson leads the MAC with a 51.7 3PTFG% (15-of-29), while Navigato is third with 3.0 treys per game.
• As a team, Toledo is tied for first in the MAC with its 9.6 three-point field goals per game and its 38.1 three-point field-goal percentage ranks second. The Rockets also lead the conference with 15.4 assists per contest and are second and third with 4.2 bpg and a 75.3 free-throw percentage, respectively.
• Wright State has won six of its last seven games, including last Saturday's 63-54 victory over Kent State. The Raiders are winless in three road contests with an 84-80 setback at Loyola (Ill.), a 73-67 (OT) defeat at Miami (Ohio) and a 78-60 loss at Western Kentucky.
• WSU features a balanced scoring attack with six Raiders averaging 9.0 ppg or more.Senior guard Grant Benzinger is the team's leading scorer at 13.9 ppg, with redshirt freshman center Loudon Love averaging 9.5 ppg and a team-best 7.9 rpg.
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 86-of-226 attempts for a 38.1 conversion rate, a mark that ranks second in the MAC.
UT's 9.6 treys per game are tied for first 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) and 11-of-25 totals at Detroit Mercy (Dec. 6).
HORIZON FAMILIARITY
Toledo has faced at least three Horizon League members in non-conference play over the last six years and will face four for a third consecutive year this season.
The Rockets are 16-9 vs. the Horizon League during this stretch, including a 9-3 mark over the last two-plus seasons.
Prior to taking over at the Rocket helm, Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk spent eight seasons coaching in the Horizon League at Green Bay.
ON THE HORIZON
Toledo concludes its three-game homestand vs. Southwestern Athletic Conference foe Jackson State (2-7) on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:00 p.m. before visiting Cleveland State (3-6) on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 2:00 p.m.
