SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Toledo men's basketball team let a five-point lead slip away in the final minute of regulation at Notre Dame on Thursday evening in a 64-62 (OT) defeat to the Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion.

Notre Dame's Nate Laszewski hit a three at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and the Fighting Irish used a 6-0 spurt in the final 30 seconds of the extra session to secure the victory.

"This one hurts," Toledo Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "I'm unbelievably disappointed we didn't win the game. I'm not disappointed by our players' preparation or by how hard we played. I just thought we gave it away. It's just hard to take right now and we have to regroup. We'll learn some valuable lessons on how to close out a game."

Junior Marreon Jackson paced the Rockets (3-2) with 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and a team-high four steals. Seniors Luke Knapke (16 pts., 11 reb.) and Willie Jackson (11 pts., career-high 20 reb.) also registered double-doubles to help Toledo dominate the glass by a 57-46 margin.

Sophomore Dane Goodwin led Notre Dame (5-1) with 16 points.

The Rockets held a 27-24 lead at halftime and led for all but 2:33 of the second half. Marreon Jackson's two free throws following a Notre Dame technical put Toledo up 52-45 with 4:04 left. Willie Jackson's putback then gave Toledo a 54-49 advantage with 58 seconds left. The Rockets then missed two free throws and committed two turnovers to set up Laszewski's buzzer-beater.

The Rockets have a quick turnaround and return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 with a 2:00 p.m. matchup vs. NAIA foe Northwestern Ohio in Savage Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Notre Dame jumped out to an early 7-2 before Marreon Jackson evened the score at 9-9 on a three-pointer and jumper.
• Neither team could string together a significant run until an 8-0 burst gave the Rockets a 25-19 cushion. Willie Jackson and Luke Knapke each contributed a pair of baskets as part of the run.
• Toledo shot 38.7 percent in the first half and limited the Fighting Irish to a 29.0 mark
• Marreon Jackson led Toledo with nine points in the opening 20 minutes with Willie Jackson and Knapke each tallying eight points each.

SECOND HALF

• The Fighting Irish came out of the locker room on fire, hitting their first three shots to take a 31-27 lead less than a minute-and-a-half into the second stanza.
• The Rockets responded with their own rally as Marreon Jackson's three and Knapke's jumper put Toledo up 35-31 at the 15:55 mark.
• UT extended its advantage to 41-34 but Dane Goodwin buried back-to-back three to cut the Rockets' lead to 41-40 with 10:31 to play.
• Back-to-back three-pointers from Dylan Alderson and Keshaun Saunders on Toledo's next two possessions provided some breathing room. Goodwin drilled another three-pointer though to make it a 47-45 contest with 9:43 left.
• Marreon Jackson's three-point field goal at the 6:11 mark accounted for the game's only scoring until he hit two free throws after a Notre Dame technical with 4:04 left.
• Willie Jackson's free throw with 11 seconds left put Toledo up 55-52.
• Notre Dame's Prentiss Hubb then missed the front end of a one-and-one with six seconds left. After Goodwin's putback attempt was off, Notre Dame had another three-point shot that was wedged between the backboard and the rim with 0.8 seconds left. The Fighting Irish received the ball due to the possession arrow and 1.5 seconds was put on the clock to set the stage for the game-tying basket.

OVERTIME

• Goodwin scored first to give the hosts a 57-55 lead, but Marreon Jackson answered right back with a layup to even the score.
• Keshaun Saunders drilled a pair of free throws for a 59-57 Rocket lead with 2:15 remaining.
• Toledo had a chance to extend its lead but missed a pair of three-pointers and committed a turnover.
• Rex Pflueger's layup with 25 seconds left put the Fighting Irish up 60-59.
• Toledo committed a turnover and missed a three on its next two possessions, and Notre Dame secured the victory by hitting its final four free throws.

Recap from Toledo's game against Notre Dame.


Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk post-game.


Junior Marreon Jackson post-game.