Wright State Knocks Off Toledo 76-68

The Wright State University men’s basketball team had the club going up on a Tuesday as the Raiders improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season with a 76-68 win over the Toledo Rockets at Savage Hall. In the process, the Raiders also snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Rockets, who were picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference behind conference rival Miami University.

Sophomore Kellen Pickett recorded game-highs of 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while going a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. After the game, Wright State head coach Clint Sargent spoke highly of Pickett as he anchored the Raiders defense and offense for a majority of the game.

“How about Kellen Pickett?” Sargent said. “He was everywhere. When he gets 19 and 11 — which is great, get some threes going — but if people could see maybe behind the scenes when the points aren’t there. What his character is like and how consistent he is, just wanting what’s best for his teammates. It’s really inspiring.”

Freshman Noah Lewis (16 points, 7-of-9 FG, three blocks) and DePaul transfer Ilija Milijaševic (15 points, 3-of-5 3-PT FG) combined for 31 of the Raiders’ 33 bench points. With Lewis’ career night, he said fundamentals played a large role in capitalizing on opportunities that led to a bulk of his points.

“It’s just instincts, what I’ve been taught and what I’ve been learned,” Lewis said. “Especially from these guys here, Kellen Pickett [and] Andrea Holden. We have some of the best inside guys in the game.”

Redshirt freshman Isaiah Williams recorded nine points and five boards in his first-career start in place of an injured Chadlyn Traylor.

The Raiders shot a solid 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) on threes, but they made only 65.4 percent (17-of-26) of their free throws. They also outrebounded Toledo 38-36 and shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the second half.

Tod Kowalczyk’s Rockets shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the field and a solid 73.3 percent (11-of-15) on foul shots, but they made only 18.8 percent (3-of-16) of their threes.

The home team was led by junior Mynor Strong’s 18 points (8-of-11 FG) and three steals. Other contributors included junior Jaylan Ouwinga with 12 points and eight rebounds, 10 points and a career-high tying nine assists from Marquette transfer Sean Jones, eight points and three steals from sophomore Will James, as well as eight points and four blocks from senior Austin Parks.

After Wright State scored the first two points just 29 seconds into the contest with free throws by Williams, Toledo shot off like Rockets. They scored the next 11 unanswered points with two buckets from Ouwinga, a Jones layup, a Parks free throw, a dunk from Strong and another layup from James.

Later on, it was 15-6 in favor of Toledo before the road team busted out with a 10-0 run — courtesy of a tip-in from Williams, a Lewis foul shot, back-to-back jumpers from Williams and Andrea Holden, and a corner three from Pickett.

Wright State went on a 10-4 run to end the half and took a 36-31 lead into the locker room when Milijaševic started it with a three, while Pickett ended it with a three of his own 31 seconds before the intermission.

The Rockets scored the first seven points of the second half within a 1:20 span and regained the lead with back-to-back buckets from Strong and James, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Parks to make it 38-36.

However, Wright State turned the tables and exploded with a 10-0 run thanks to a jumper from Holden, a dunk from Pickett, a three-point play from Williams, a Dominic Pangonis layup and a triple from Milijaševic. As a result, the Raiders were up 48-38 and never trailed for the rest of the game — they led by as many as 14, and the lead never dropped below eight points the rest of the way.

Wright State is back in action with a road visit against Samford on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, AL.

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