KENT, Ohio – Freshman Ryan Rollins' driving layup with 17.3 seconds left capped off a Toledo rally from nine points down to give the Rockets an 84-82 road win over Kent State on Tuesday afternoon in the M.A.C. Center. The victory improved Toledo' record to 9-3, extended its winning streak to six games and kept its Mid-American Conference record perfect at 4-0.

"It was a big win on the road for us and even though we didn't rebound well today we made big plays when he had to," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk. "We're continuing to get better and we had some good contributions from the bench with Mattia Acunzo in the first half and Keshaun Saunders in the second half."

Seniors Spencer Littleson and Marreon Jackson both hit big shots down the stretch and spearheaded the Rocket attack with 26 and 22 points, respectively. They were joined in double digits by Rollins (13 pts., team-high six reb.) and junior Setric Millner Jr. (10 pts.).

Littleson finished the day 9-of-11 from the field and tied his career high with eight three-point field goals, one shy of the school record. Jackson was 4-of-9 from behind the arc helping Toledo finish the contest with a 46.4 percentage (13-of-28) from three-point line.

"Spencer and Marreon did what seniors do for a 4-0 team in the MAC," Kowalczyk said. "They hit some big shots down the stretch and Ryan came through with the game-winner."

Senior Danny Pippen paced Kent State (3-3, 0-2 MAC) with a game-high 34 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Rockets trailed 79-76 following a pair of Pippen free throws with 1:49 remaining, but Rollins drilled a corner trey to even the score at 79 at the 1:35 mark.  Pippen and Jackson then traded three-point field goals on the next two possessions.  Following a Toledo stop, Jackson's layup attempt was blocked with Littleson grabbing the offensive rebound to set up Rollins' game-winner. Kent State went for the win on its final possession with Pippen's fall-away three-pointer with five seconds left rimming out.

Toledo committed just six turnovers in the contest, which helped offset being outrebounded by the Golden Flashes by a 46-29 margin.

Toledo is back in action on Friday, Jan. 8 when it hosts Ohio in Savage Arena at 6:30 p.m. in a nationally-televised contest on the CBS Sports Network.

HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF

• Toledo surged to an early 12-6 lead in the opening four minutes thanks to a pair of three-point field goals from Marreon Jackson.
• Kent State put together a 12- 2 run to take a 23-18 at the midpoint of the first stanza.
• The Rockets regrouped to take a 33-32 lead at the 4:33 mark on Spencer Littleson's fourth triple of the game.
• Jackson hit another trey to provide Toledo its final lead of the half, 36-35, less than a minute later.
• Danny Pippen closed out the half with a three right before the buzzer to give the Golden Flashes a 44-38 lead.

SECOND HALF

• Kent State took its largest advantage of the game, 59-50, with 14:17 remaining following a Pippen jumper.
• Toledo took its first lead of the second half thanks to a 13-1 spurt for a 70-66 cushion with 6:08 to play.
• JT Shumate's three-point play brought the Rockets within 65-63 with 7:58 left and Littleson followed with a triple for a 66-65 lead. Jackson's two free throws and Setric Millner Jr.'s putback made the score 70-66.
• Kent State responded with 10 straight points, the first seven from Pippen and the final three from Michael Nuga for a 76-70 advantage with 3:34 remaining.
• The Rockets chipped away and tied the score at 79-79 on Ryan Rollins' corner trey with 1:35 to play.
• Pippen and Jackson then traded three-point field goals on the next two possessions.
• Following a Toledo stop, Jackson's layup was blocked with Littleson grabbing the offensive rebound to set up Rollins' game-winner with 17.3 seconds left.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Toledo's 4-0 start to conference play is its best since a 7-0 mark in the 2006-07 season.
• The Rockets' six-game winning streak is their longest since winning 10 in a row during their 2018-19 campaign.
• Spencer Littleson finished one point shy of his career of 27 points at Marshall last year.
• Marreon Jackson was 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and is 45-of-46 from the charity stripe this season.