TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team was hitting its stride when the Coronavirus pandemic ended its 2019-20 season prior to its Mid-American Conference quarterfinal matchup vs. Bowling Green.
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The Rockets won four of five contests to end their regular season before pulling out a 76-73 over Western Michigan in the first round of the MAC Tourney.
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"We were playing our best basketball down the stretch," Head Coach
Tod Kowalczyk said. "I think we were playing as well as anyone in the conference heading into the tournament except maybe Akron and Ohio. It was disappointing to not be able to finish our season, but I'm proud of the way we fought through a lot of adversity during our season."
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Kowalczyk said the key to his team staying positive was the leadership provided by the team's four captains – seniors
Willie Jackson and
Luke Knapke along with juniors
Marreon Jackson and
Spencer Littleson – who each registered double-digit scoring averages.
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"We stayed together because of the leadership of our four captains," Kowalczyk said. "They were great with each other and with their teammates. They led by example and never pointed fingers."
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A second-team all-league selection,
Marreon Jackson ranked second in the MAC with 19.8 ppg and 5.4 apg to go along with a league-best 3.1 treys per game. He set a school record with 99 three-point field goals made and also paced the Rockets in free-throw percentage (.816), free throws made (146) and free throws attempted (179).
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Knapke earned third-team All-MAC accolades after ranking second on the team with 15.8 ppg and 8.2 rpg and leading the Rockets with a MAC-best 1.9 bpg. Knapke paced Toledo with a 39.4 three-point field-goal percentage, ranked second on the team with a 77.1 free-throw percentage and was the only player in the conference to rank in the Top 10 in points, rebounds and blocked shots. He also set school records this season for blocked shots in a game (10), season (61) and career (197).
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Willie Jackson was named honorable-mention All-MAC after averaging a double-double (12.3 ppg, 12.0 rpg) and ranking among nation's top rebounders. He was the only player in the MAC averaging double digits in rebounding and ranked third nationally with 12.0 rpg. He paced the Rockets with a 49.3 field-goal percentage and also tied for sixth in the nation with 19 double-doubles, including a 22-point, 16-rebound effort in the MAC Tournament vs. Western Michigan.
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Littleson, who battled through a shoulder injury through the final seven weeks of the season, averaged 10.5 ppg and ranked fifth in the MAC with a team-high 1.7 spg while playing 33.9 mpg. He also ranked second on the team and eighth in the conference with a 39.3 three-point field-goal percentage.
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Redshirt freshman
Keshaun Saunders also received a postseason honor with a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team. He averaged 7.7 ppg and started 12 of 32 contests in his first season in a Rocket uniform. Saunders posted a 39.1 three-point field-goal percentage in league play, a figure that tied for ninth in the conference.