TOLEDO, Ohio - Seniors
Willie Jackson and
Luke Knapke each registered double-doubles to lead Toledo to a 79-63 exhibition triumph over NCAA Division II foe Hillsdale on Saturday evening in Savage Arena. The exhibition was the first of two Toledo will play this month with its next one coming at Findlay on Sunday, Oct. 27.
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"I was really excited about how we started the game but disappointed how we opened the second half," Head Coach
Tod Kowalczyk said. "We used this game to see how our rotations would happen and getting guys a certain amount of minutes. We also wanted to have film that we can use to address our team on areas we need to get better in."
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Knapke tied junior
Marreon Jackson for game scoring honors with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Willie Jackson grabbed a game-high 15 boards to go along with 14 points. The Rockets' two remaining starters, juniors
Spencer Littleson and
Dylan Alderson, also scored in double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
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Patrick Cartier led the Chargers with 16 points and eight rebounds.
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Toledo started quickly and never trailed in the contest. The Rockets made six of their first seven shots to bolt out to a 15-2 advantage. Hillsdale didn't sink its first field goal until hitting a three-point field goal with 14:15 remaining in the first half.
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The Rockets maintained a comfortable cushion the rest of the half and took a 41-18 lead into the locker room. The Midnight Blue and Gold led by as many as 22 points in the second stanza.
Toledo shot 47.4 percent from the field and knocked down 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) three-point shots. Hillsdale was limited to a 37.7 shooting mark and was 8-of-29 (27.6 percent) behind the three-point line.
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