TOLEDO, Ohio - A 16-2 Wright State run early in the second half proved to be the difference on Saturday afternoon in Toledo's 77-69 setback to the Raiders in Savage Arena.
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Junior forward
Nate Navigato paced the Rockets (5-5) with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting (4-of-7 3fg). Senior guard
Tre'Shaun Fletcher was the only other Rocket to reach double digits in the scoring column, as he finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high five steals en route to his sixth double-double of the season.
Navigato and freshman guard
Marreon Jackson also tied for the team lead with four assists apiece.
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Senior guards Grant Benzinger and Justin Mitchell shared team scoring honors for Wright State (7-4) with a game-high 18 points apiece. Mitchell also grabbed 12 boards to help the Raiders to a slim 39-38 margin in the rebounding department.
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Wright State outshot the Rockets by a 42.1-.40.6 margin from the field and enjoyed a significant advantage at the charity stripe. The Raiders knocked down 22-of-30 free-throw attempts compared to UT's 7-of-14 effort.
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Toledo started the game strong and led by as many as nine points, 19-10, following Navigato's third trey of the game with 13:13 to play in the first half. Wright State managed to even the score on two more occasions the remainder of the half before the Rockets took a 34-33 lead at intermission.
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Junior guard
Jaelan Sanford knocked down a three-pointer to open the second half putting UT up, 37-33. The Rockets scored just two points for the next five minutes, and WSU took its first lead of the game with what turned out to be its game-deciding run that led to a 49-39 cushion.
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Jackson's three-point field goal cut the Rockets' deficit to six points, 63-57, with just over three minutes to play. However, WSU responded with a 7-0 burst to eliminate any hopes of a Rocket rally.
Toledo returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 20 when it hosts Jackson State. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m.