Kellen Pickett's 19-Point Double-Double Lifts Wright State Past Toledo 76-68

TOLEDO, Ohio. Toledo jumped out 11-2 at Savage Arena, and for a minute it looked like Wright State might be in for a long first road trip. Then Kellen Pickett started making 3s, the bench took over, and the Raiders walked out with a 76-68 win that moved them to 3-0.

Pickett finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, went 4 of 4 from 3 and never needed a second look from deep. Noah Lewis scored 16 points off the bench on 7 of 9 shooting. Ilija Milijasevic added 15, also off the bench, and the two reserves combined for 31 of Wright State's 33 bench points in front of 4,264 at Savage Arena.

The Raiders did not shoot 58 percent or pour in 97 points, the way they had in the first two games at the Nutter Center. They did not need to. They blocked nine shots, won the glass 38-36, and they were 7 of 16 from 3 while holding Toledo to 3 of 16.

An 11-2 hole, then Pickett takes the lead

Isaiah Williams made two free throws 29 seconds in, and that was the last Wright State lead for a while. Jaylan Ouwinga and Sean Jones scored, Austin Parks hit a free throw, Mynor Strong dunked and Will James Jr. finished a layup. Just 4:10 into the game, Toledo led 11-2.

Lewis, a true freshman, started the climb with back-to-back layups. Williams and Andrea Holden chipped in, and Pickett finally broke the ice from 27 feet off a Dominic Pangonis assist at 9:28 to put Wright State in front 16-15. It was the first of four 3s, and he did not miss one all night.

Toledo punched back. Ouwinga answered with a 27-footer, and Jones hit a 25-footer at 7:29 to make it 23-19. Milijasevic, another newcomer, made a layup and then a 34-foot 3 to pull the Raiders within 27-26. Pickett's two free throws at 4:01 put Wright State back in front 28-27, C.J. O'Hara added a layup, and Pickett's 25-footer with 31 seconds left sent the Raiders to the locker room up 36-31.

Toledo's 7-0 burst, and then the door shuts

The Rockets opened the second half the way they opened the game. Strong, James and Parks scored on three straight possessions, and Parks' free throw after a 5-foot jumper made it 38-36, Toledo's last lead of the night.

Holden tied it with a jumper. Pickett threw down a 3-foot dunk off a Holden assist at 17:29 to make it 40-38, and Wright State took off. Williams hit a jumper, Pangonis finished a layup, and Milijasevic buried a 27-footer at 15:24 that made it 48-38. After a pair of his free throws, the lead was 50-39.

Milijasevic was not done. He knocked down a 28-footer at 11:57 to make it 53-42, Lewis scored inside, and Pickett's fourth 3, a 26-footer from Lewis at 9:41, stretched the lead to 58-44, the largest of the night.

The bench holds a 14-point lead

Jones hit a 27-footer to cut it to 60-51 with 7:49 left, the first time it felt like Toledo might get back in it. O'Hara answered with a layup, Pangonis made two free throws, and Lewis scored eight points in a three-minute stretch, including a 3-foot dunk at 3:14 that made it 71-59.

Strong answered with a jumper, Pickett scored a layup, and after a James tip-in made it 73-63, Milijasevic made two free throws at 2:20 to push it back to 75-63. Strong fouled out with 45 seconds left. Pickett made one of two free throws after that, Ouwinga and James scored late, and Wright State closed it 76-68.

Pickett, the reserves and a different formula

Pickett, the Horizon League preseason player of the year, had been quiet in the first two games by his new standard, with 13 points against Air Force and nine against Florida Atlantic. On Tuesday he was the best player on the floor: 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting, 4 of 4 from 3, 3 of 4 at the line, 11 rebounds, four blocks, a steal and only two turnovers in 35 minutes.

The supporting night came from places that had been quieter. Lewis scored 16 in 27 minutes with four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Milijasevic had 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting in 20 minutes and did not turn it over. Williams added nine points and five rebounds. Pangonis, who entered averaging 21 points after a 30-point opener, finished with six points on 1 of 6 shooting and still made the extra pass and the free throws that mattered late. Holden, who had posted a double-double in each of the first two games, scored five points with five rebounds and three assists.

Strong and Jones keep Toledo close

Strong led Toledo with 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting, adding three steals before fouling out. Jones had 10 points and nine assists. Ouwinga scored 12 with eight rebounds. The Rockets actually won some of the possession battle, with 15 points off 14 Wright State turnovers and eight steals, and they outscored the Raiders 17-15 in assists. They just could not make a 3, and they could not get the stops they needed once Pickett and the Wright State bench got rolling in the second half.

Parks had eight points, six rebounds and four blocks. James scored eight. As a team, Toledo shot 41 percent from the field and 19 percent from 3, and this was the club's first home game after opening with three road contests.

What It Means

Wright State is 3-0, 1-0 on the road, and still unbeaten after a night that looked nothing like the 102-71 and 97-71 home wins that opened the season. Clint Sargent's team, picked to win the Horizon League after last season's conference tournament title, just won a tighter game the hard way. The official game center shows Toledo had taken the last three meetings in this series, including an 81-71 win last Nov. 11. That streak is over.

The Raiders head to Samford on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Toledo falls to 1-3 and 0-1 at home after a 1-2 start on the road that included a one-point loss at Arkansas State, a defeat at Michigan State and a win at Marshall.

For the full numbers, see the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and play-by-play (opens in a new tab), plus Wright State's game center (opens in a new tab).

Sources: ESPN, Wright State Athletics. More men's college basketball coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Joseph Craven / Wright State Athletics (file photo from Nov. 6, 2026, vs. Florida Atlantic)