TOLEDO, Ohio – A strong defensive performance and a 13-0 first-half run propelled the Toledo men's basketball team to a 70-56 triumph over Robert Morris in its home opener Saturday afternoon in Savage Arena. The contest improved the Rockets' record to 2-0 in the Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational heading into tomorrow's home matchup vs. Howard.

Toledo (2-1) limited the Colonials (1-4) to a 33.8 field-goal percentage, including a miniscule 29.7 shooting mark in the opening 20 minutes that led to a 39-29 halftime advantage. The Rockets held an 18-17 lead just under the nine-minute mark before taking control with a 13-0 spurt for a 31-17 cushion. UT's lead dipped into single digits on just one other occasion the remainder of the contest.

"I was really happy with our focus today," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk. "We are extremely unselfish, and our ball movement during that first-half run really sparked us today. Our defense also was solid against a team that's going to win a lot of games in its conference."

Redshirt freshman Keshaun Saunders and junior Spencer Littleson paced Toledo's offense with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Senior Luke Knapke also registered a double-double for the Rockets with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Willie Jackson tied his career high with 16 rebounds.

Three Colonials scored in double figures with junior Jon Williams leading the way with 11 points. The Rockets held RMU's leading scorer, senior Josh Williams, to three points on 1-of-12 shooting.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• The lead changed hands four times and the score was tied on five occasions in the first eight minutes.
• Keshaun Saunders' three-pointer snapped a 15-15 tie with 9:25 remaining in the first half to give the Rockets the lead for good.
• Three-point field goals from Marreon Jackson and Luke Knapke capped off a 13-0 spurt that led to a 31-17 lead and forced Robert Morris to take a timeout at the 5:56 mark.
• The Rockets scored eight straight points to take their largest lead of the day, 39-20, 2:31 before halftime.
• Robert Morris tallied the final eight points of the half to reduce its deficit to 39-28.

 SECOND HALF

• The Colonials cut Toledo's lead to 39-30 with the first basket after intermission, but the Rockets answered with an 7-0 burst for a 46-31 advantage.
• Spencer Littleson hit his first four shots of the 2^nd half, including a pair of three-pointers in the first five minutes.
• Toledo's lead didn't fall below 12 points the remainder of the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Toledo won its ninth straight home opener under Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk.
• The Rockets' 14-point victory was their 17^th victory of 11 points or more since the start of the 2018-19 season.
• Toledo leads its all-time series vs. Robert Morris by a 3-1 margin.
• Keshaun Saunders' 18-point outing matched his season high from Toledo's season opener at Valparaiso. Fifteen of Saunders' points came in the first half and he was 6-of-6 from free-throw line.
• Spencer Littleson paced the Rockets in the second half with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 from three-point range. Littleson also grabbed three steals in a team-high 36 minutes.
• Luke Knapke registered the fourth double-double of his career.
• Willie Jackson grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to go along with seven points and four assists. He is averaging a team-best 12.7 rpg this season.
• Marreon Jackson dished out seven assists and is averaging 7.3 apg this season.

 
 
Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk Post-game vs Robert Morris.
 
R-Freshman Keshaun Saunders Post-game vs Robert Morris.