TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo (10-1) plays its final game before a 10-day holiday break when it hosts Cornell (4-5) on Wednesday, Dec. 19 in Savage Arena. The Rockets have won eight straight contests following last Saturday's dominating 84-62 victory over Middle Tennessee.
        Sophomore Marreon Jackson led a balanced attack against the Blue Raiders with a season-high 17 points. Joining Jackson in double figures were senior Nate Navigato (16 pts, 4-of-5 3fg), senior Jaelan Sanford (12 pts.), senior Chris Darrington (12 pts., 6-of-6 FTs) and junior Luke Knapke (12 pts.).
        Junior Willie Jackson tallied a team-high 12 rebounds, but fell short of his seventh double-double by finishing with seven points.
        Cornell's game against the Rockets will be their third in four days. The Big Red dropped a 77-74 decision at Niagara on Sunday and host Longwood on Monday evening before heading to the Glass City. Senior Matt Morgan is one of the nation's leading scorers with 23.7 ppg, respectively.
        Toledo will be looking to avenge last year's 77-74 setback to Cornell in Ithaca. The Rockets nearly rallied from a 21-point deficit at Cornell but came up short. Navigato paced the Rocket attack with 22 points and was 6-of-13 from three-point range.
        Wednesday's matchup will feature two of the nation's top three-point shooters. Navigato ranks sixth nationally with a 52.9 three-point FG%, while Cornell's Morgan enters Monday's game vs. Longwood at 50.7 percent.
 
POST TOUCHES
•  Toledo's 10-1 start is its best since winning its first 12 games in 2013-14 season. The Rockets' 90.9 winning percentage is tied for 10th nationally (as of Dec. 16).
•  UT ranks sixth nationally (as of Dec. 16) with its 78.6 FT%. The Rockets also rank in the Top 25 nationally in assists per game (18.3/15th), 3PTFGs per game (10.5/18th) and scoring margin (16.5/22nd).
•  UT leads the MAC in FT% (78.6), 3PTFG% (39.2), three-point field goals per game (10.5) and three-point FG% defense (29.5) and is second in scoring defense (66.6) and assists per game (18.3).
•   Jaelan Sanford ranks fourth and seventh in the MAC with an 85.2 FT% and a team-high 17.0 ppg, respectively. The Evansville, Ind. native ranks 14th on UT's all-time scoring list with 1,463 points and seventh with 204 career treys.
•   Nate Navigato leads the MAC and ranks sixth nationally with a 52.9 three-point FG%. He also ranks second in the MAC as well as eighth nationally with a 4.5 assist/turnover ratio.
•   Navigato paced the MAC last year with 2.8 treys/game and was second with a 42.7 3PTFG%.
•   Navigato has connected for three or more three-pointers in nine of 11 games and has hit a season-high five three-pointers on four occasions.
•   Willie Jackson is tied for eight nationally with six double-doubles and has 10 in 31 career games as a Rocket. Jackson ranks second in the MAC and 13th nationally with 10.5 rpg.
•  Three Rockets rank in the MAC's Top 10 in 3PTFG% — Nate Navigato (52.9/1st), Luke Knapke (50.0/3rd) and Chris Darrington (44.4/8th) — as well as FT% - Luke Knapke (85.7/3rd), Jaelan Sanford (85.2/4th) and Chris Darrington (83.3/6th).
•   Marreon Jackson ranks second in the MAC with 5.1 assists per game.
•   Luke Knapke ranks third in the MAC with an 85.7 FT% and 50.0 three-point FG% (14-of-28) and 12th with a 56.2 FG%. Knapke scored a career-best 20 points at Wright State (Nov. 14) thanks to a 6-of-6 effort behind the three-point arc.
•   Chris Darrington comes off the bench with a 10.2 scoring mark and is one of five Rockets scoring in double digits. Darrington leads the Rockets in free throws made (40) and free throws attempted (48).
 
SOME TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•   Seven of UT's 10 wins have been by 11 points or more. The Rockets' scoring margin of plus-16.5 ranks second in the MAC behind Buffalo's plus-17.8 mark.
•   The Rockets have won their first five home games for the first time since winning all 15 home contests in their 2013-14 campaign.
•   Toledo has six different players shooting 74.4 percent or better from the free-throw line with each of those individuals making at least 12 trips to the charity stripe.
•  Toledo has had at least four players score in double digits in 10 of 11 contests and has had five players score in double figures on five occasions.
•   Toledo has held seven of its last eight opponents under 70 points. The only opponent to top 70 points during this stretch has been Marshall, which needed overtime to do so in the Rockets' 75-74 (OT) road win.
•  Toledo was outrebounded by a 38-36 margin by Middle Tennessee, marking just the third time this season UT has lost the battle of the boards.
•   At least five different Rockets have made three-point field goals in eight of 11 games.
•   Toledo is undefeated in its eight games that it has outrebounded its opponent.
•   UT has shot 75.0 percent or better from the free-throw line in nine of 11 games.
•   Toledo is 9-2 in games decided by five points or less since the start of last season.
 
LAST YEAR VS. CORNELL (11/24/17)
        Toledo nearly rallied from a 21-point deficit at Cornell but didn't have enough time left to complete its comeback in an 80-77 setback to the Big Red in Newman Arena.
        Nate Navigato and Tre'Shaun Fletcher paced the Rocket attack with 22 and 20 points, respectively. The duo was joined in double figures by Luke Knapke (13 pts) and Jaelan Sanford (10 pts.). Fletcher also topped UT with a career-high 12 rebounds and five assists.
        Matt Morgan and Stone Gettings led Cornell offensively with 24 and 21 points, respectively.
        Toledo shot 44.4 percent from the field and was 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) from three-point range. Cornell converted 56.1 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 12-of-28 from three-point range.
        The Big Red held a 46-35 cushion at intermission and expanded it to 63-42 in the second half. UT trimmed its deficit to single digits, 67-59, with just under eight minutes to play and came within 78-74 on a Sanford trey with 1:23 remaining. Navigato then made it one-point game, 78-77, with 14.3 seconds to play. Morgan hit both free throws with 7.2 seconds left for the game's final points. Fletcher was fouled with 3.1 seconds on the clock but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and UT was unable to corral the rebound.
 
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
        Toledo ranks in the top three of the Mid-American Conference in each of the three primary defensive categories. The Rockets are first in three-point FG% defense (29.5), second in scoring defense (66.6) and third in field-goal percentage defense (40.5).
        Last year, UT ranked seventh in scoring defense (74.5) and fifth in field-goal percentage defense (43.7) and three-point FG% defense (43.7).
 
THREE-POINT PRODUCTION
        Toledo has evolved into one of the top three-point shooting squads in the nation over the last two years. The Rockets are tied for 17th nationally with 10.5 three-pointers per game and 31st with a 39.2 three-point FG%.
        UT has connected for double-digit three-point outputs on eight occasions this year, including a season-high 14-of-29 effort vs. North Alabama (Nov. 28) and 14-of-33 showing vs. Detroit Mercy (Dec. 5). The Rockets also have posted 13-of-32 totals vs. Wright State (Nov. 14) and a season-high 57.1 conversion rate (12-of-21) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 19).
        Last year, Toledo converted a school-record 327 three-point field goals with a 40.1 conversion rate (41.8% in league play), a mark that sat at the top of the MAC and ranked 12th nationally. Toledo was one of 18 schools nationally with a 40.0 three-point FG% or higher.
        UT's 9.6 treys per game last year ranked third in the MAC (29th nationally) and were a big improvement from the previous season's average of 7.7 three-pointers per game. The Rockets posted a 36.2 3PTFG% in 2016-17.
        UT tallied nine or more treys in 22 of 34 contests last year, including 14-of-25 totals vs. Saint Joseph's (Nov. 11), 14-of-32 totals at CMU (Jan. 13), 14-of-29 totals at NIU (Feb. 27), 13-of-22 totals at Ohio (Jan. 16), 13-of-23 totals vs. WMU (Jan. 9) and 13-of-28 totals at WMU (Jan. 23).

ON THE HORIZON
                Toledo continues its four-game homestand next week against Penn (Dec. 29). The Rockets will then begin conference play in Savage Arena vs. Ball State (Jan. 4). UT's next road game will be at No. 17 Buffalo on Jan. 8.