— By David Walsh
TOLEDO, Ohio — Not as explosive as the first meeting, but the Toledo Rockets did enough Sunday to defeat Marshall, 82-72, in front of 3,887 fans at Savage Hall.
Luke Knapke and Willie Jackson both had double-doubles to lead the Mid-American Conference school past the Herd for the second time this season.
The Rockets won the first meeting, 96-72, on Nov. 10 in Huntington.
The 6-foot-11 Knapke, who had the program’s third triple-double Wednesday night in an 80-65 win over Cleveland State, connected for 33 points and 11 rebounds. Knapke made 12-of-16 shots, including 4-of-6 from the three-point line.
His output is the most by a Toledo player since Tyrone Kent scored 37 at Xavier in 2008. He’s also the only Toledo player to reach double figures in every game.
Jackson finished with 11 points and 13 boards. Marreon Jackson was Toledo’s No. 2 scorer with 24 points.
Guard Jarrod West led Marshall with 19 points. Jannson Williams and Taevion Kinsey each had 12 points for the Thundering Herd. Mikel Beyers came off the bench for the visitors and netted 13 points and nine rebounds. Both are career bests. Kinsey has had 10 more points in every game.
“We are back to where we were when I first got here,” Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni said after the game. “I know we’re young, but you can’t keep using that as a reason.”
Marshall (2-6) suffered its third straight defeat. Toledo (7-2) extended its winning streak to four.
Toledo, which made 11 first-half treys and 14 overall in the first meeting, has now made nine or more three-pointers in eight of nine games.
The Rockets are 24-6 vs. the Herd at home all-time and lead the series, 36-23. Their home mark is now 19-2 since the start of the 2018-19 season.
Marshall returns to action Wednesday against Bluefield State. Game time is 7 p.m. at Cam Henderson Center.
The first half went back and forth. Marko Sarenac nailed a three-pointer 2:07 left in the first half to get Marshall within one at 30-29. Toledo got the final four points when Knapke made one of two free throws and Willie Jackson nailed at trey for a 33-29 lead. Herd starter Iran Bennett played just six minutes and Kinsey 10 due to foul trouble.
The second half played out the same close way as the first. Kinsey’s layup with 8:32 left got Marshall within three at 59-56.
Toledo countered with a three by Marreon Jackson, then a layup and three-pointer by Knapke to push the lead to 67-56 and the Rockets kept the upper hand the rest of the way.
The two big statistics in Toledo’s favor came in second-chance points and at the foul line.
The Rockets had a 10-0 edge in second-chance points in the first half and 18-6 advantage overall. The home side made 23-of-33 free throws to 6-of-9 for the Herd.