TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball team (5-3, 1-0 MAC) plays its final non-conference contest of its 2020-21 campaign on Saturday, Dec. 19 when it hosts Missouri Valley Conference foe Valparaiso (3-4). The Rockets and Crusaders will meet at 2:00 p.m. in Savage Arena with the contest being streamed on ESPN3.
       
Toledo posted a thrilling 96-87 (OT) win at Marshall on Wednesday and a victory over Valpo would give the Rockets their first three-game win streak of the season. Marreon Jackson exploded for 14 points in the extra session and finished with 23 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals. He was joined in double-digits by Ryan Rollins (16 pts., team-high 13 reb.), Setric Millner Jr. (15 pts.) and JT Shumate (12 pts.). Shumate was playing his first game as a Rocket after being granted eligibility by the NCAA following his transfer from Walsh University.

Jackson and Millner lead the Rockets offensively with 16.4 and 15.6 ppg, respectively. Also scoring in double figures are Rollins (13.9) and senior Spencer Littleson (10.9). Millner is grabbing a team-high 8.1 rpg with a team-best 50.0 3PTFG% (9-of-18), while Jackson is tallying a team-best 5.4 apg and 1.9 spg. Littleson leads the Rockets with 24 treys and ranks second with a 46.2 3PTFG%.

Valpo has won three of its last four contests with its only defeat an 84-79 setback at Central Michigan on Dec. 12. Sophomore forward Donavan Clay leads the Crusaders with 10.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg.

Toledo will be looking to avenge last year's 79-77 season-opening setback at Valpo. Marreon Jackson led the Rockets with 27 points and seven assists but Javon Freeman-Liberty's hit a jumper with four seconds to give the Crusaders the win.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.
Tip-Off: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio.
Arena: Savage Arena (7,014).
Mason Lowry will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Rhett Boyd serving as analyst.
Radio: Rocket Radio Network. WSPD (1370 AM) in Toledo. Brent Balbinot will provide play-by-play for broadcast with Jay Lehman serving as analyst.
 
SERIES
Series tied 6-6. Toledo won five of the first six meetings from 1947-50 before Valpo won four straight from 1991-2009. Toledo pulled out a 75-72 (OT) win at home in its last meeting vs. the Crusaders on Dec. 11, 2010 but lost 79-77 at Valpo last year.

POST TOUCHES
•  Marreon Jackson has scored in double figures in a career-high 29 straight games.  He has led the Rockets in scoring just two times this season after leading the team offensively on 17 occasions last year.
•  Jackson is a perfect 34-of-34 from the free-throw line which ranks first nationally with most free throws made without a miss to begin the season. Denver's Jase Townsend ranks second with 30 free throws made without a miss.
•  Jackson ranked among the MAC leaders in several categories last year with 19.8 ppg (2nd), 5.4 apg (2nd) and 3.1 three-point FGs per game (1st). He ranked second in league play with 21.6 ppg and 3.5 treys/game last year.
•  Jackson tallied the top five scoring outings of his career all on the road last year - 37 at Central Michigan, 36 at Akron, 32 at Kent State, 31 at Bowling Green and 29 at Ohio.
•  Spencer Littleson's eight treys vs. Oakland (Nov. 26) were one shy of the school record held by Kent Murphree on Nov. 24, 1991. Littleson tied Marreon Jackson (2018), Nate Navigato (2018) and Mark German (1986) for the second-most three-point field goals ever by a Rocket in a game.
•  Littleson graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing last spring and is currently working toward his MBA.
•  Setric Millner Jr. . has registered two double-doubles this season, tallying 17 points and 15 rebounds at Xavier as well as 17 points and 10 boards vs. Kansas City.
•  Millner has scored in double digits in all eight games as a Rocket and has scored a season-high 17 points on five occasions. He is 5-of-6 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the last two games.
•  Millner averaged 7.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg as a freshman for Cleveland State.
•  Ryan Rollins has scored in double digits in seven of eight contests. He has tallied 10 pts. vs. Bradley, 17 vs. Oakland, a season-high 20 at Xavier, 15 vs. Cleveland State, 13 at Eastern Michigan, 14 vs. Kansas City and 16 at Marshall.
•  Rollins also grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds at Marshall for his first double-double.
•  Keshaun Saunders scored a season-high 13 points in Toledo's MAC opener at EMU (Dec. 4) and followed that up with nine points at Michigan 10 vs. Kansas City and nine at Marshall. He is averaging 10.3 ppg and shooting 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from field in his last four contests.
•  Mattia Acunzo scored a season-high nine points in Toledo's MAC opener at EMU (Dec. 4) and followed that up with eight points at Michigan. In his last four games, he is averaging 6.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg with a 64.7 FG% (11-of-17) and 60.0 3PTFG% (3-of-5).
•  Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk is in his 11th season at the Rockets' helm and has guided Toledo to four 20-win campaigns in the last seven years, marking the first time for this accomplishment since Bob Nichols recorded five straight 20-win seasons from 1976-81.
•  Kowalczyk ranks third on Toledo's all-time win list with 189 victories, 14 behind second-place Stan Joplin. Nichols ranks first with a MAC-best 376 wins.
 
SOME TEAM STATISTICAL TIDBITS
•  The Rockets are shooting MAC-best 39.2 percent from three-point range and knocking down a MAC-best 10.3 treys per game. Toledo has limited its opponents to a 29.4 mark and 6.9 triples per contest.
•  Toledo has an 83.6 FT% (51-of-61) in its last three games.
•  Toledo tied its season high with 10 steals at Marshall and has limited its last two opponents to 11 total offensive rebounds.
•  All nine Rockets scored at least four points at Marshall and Toledo's bench held a 34-23 advantage over Marshall's reserves.
•  The Rockets nearly tied their school record for three-pointers in a game with 16 triples vs. Oakland, one away from the record vs. Wright State on Dec. 22, 2003.
•  Toledo has registered 65 victories over the last three seasons, posting a 23-11 mark in 2017-18, a 25-8 ledger in 2018-19 and 17-15 last year. The Rockets registered 13-5 league marks in 2017-18 and 2018-19 and its 76 MAC victories over the last seven seasons are second in the league.