CINCINNATI, Ohio – Toledo pushed Xavier to the limit on Friday afternoon but came up on the short end of a 76-73 decision to the host Musketeers (3-0) in its final game of the Xavier Invitational. The Rockets (1-2) led for over 31 minutes in the contest, including a 12-point margin in the first half.

"We led for the majority of the game today and we just need to learn how to finish and make plays down the stretch," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "I saw a ton of growth and our new guys contributed a lot during this tournament. We had a very good chance to win all three games and it's disappointing to come away with only one victory."

Freshman Ryan Rollins and senior Marreon Jackson paced the Rocket attack with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Junior Setric Millner Jr. also had a big game, registering his first collegiate double-double with 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Sophomore Kyky Tandy topped the Musketeers with 24 points, while senior Paul Scruggs tallied 15 points, seven assists and six boards.

Toledo shot 38.6 percent from the field and was 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from behind the three-point arc. Xavier posted a 43.1 shooting mark and was 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) from three-point range.

The Rockets return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 1 for their home opener vs. Cleveland State. Tip-off time is 7:00 p.m. with streaming available on ESPN3.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Toledo started strong with Ryan Rollins tallying five points to give the Rockets a 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the contest.
• A 7-0 spurt highlighted by a Mattia Acunzo three-point field goal pushed Toledo's margin to its largest of the game, 20-8, four minutes later.
• Xavier chipped away to trim the Rockets' lead to 28-27, but Rollins responded with five straight points giving Toledo a 33-29 cushion at the 2:48 mark.
• Setric Millner Jr.'s two free throws 18 seconds before halftime provided the Rockets a 38-34 lead at the break.

SECOND HALF

• Toledo opened the second stanza just like it did the first half,  forcing the hosts to take a timeout after a Millner trey put the Rockets in front 47-39 with 15:30 to play.
• The Musketeers took their first lead, 52-51, on a Jason Carter trey at the 12:19 mark.
• Toledo regrouped to take a three-point lead, 56-53, on a Rollins free throw with 9:32 left.
• The Rockets took their last lead, 65-64, on a pair of Rollins' free throws with 2:59 remaining.
• Xavier followed by scoring six points in a row to gain some breathing room with a 70-65 advantage at the 1:01 mark.
• Jackson's triple with 11 seconds left brought Toledo within 72-70 but Xavier hit four straight free throws to secure the win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Rockets finished the tournament with an impressive 45.1 three-point field-goal percentage (37-of-82) and limited their opponents to a 19.7 mark (13-of-66) behind the three-point arc.
• Senior Marreon Jackson has scored in double figures in a career-high 24 straight contests.
• Junior Setric Millner Jr. is averaging a double-double (15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and freshman Ryan Rollins is averaging a team-high 15.7 ppg.