GAMES 7/8
RMU (3-3 / 2-1 HL) @ UIC (5-4 / 2-2 HL)
Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 • 8:00 p.m. & Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 • 6:00 p.m.
Credit Union 1 Arena (9,500) • Chicago, Ill.

Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Jonathan Hood (pxp), Chris Beck (color) and Joe Brand (sideline)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The RMU men's basketball team returns to action this weekend with a pair of Horizon League road games, traveling to Chicago, Ill., for a two-game set against UIC at Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
- The Colonials last played on New Year's Day, earning a 67-64 victory over Milwaukee (1/1/21) at the UPMC Events Center. RMU was unable to complete its series with the Panthers, or travel last weekend for a two-game set @ IUPUI, due to COVID-19 protocols and subsequent quarantining.
 
- Senior forward AJ Bramah led the Colonials in their win over Milwaukee with his first double-double of the 2020-21 campaign and ninth of his career with game highs in both points (20) and rebounds (14).
 
- In the win over the Panthers, senior forward AJ Bramah hit a jumper with 50 seconds remaining that snapped a 61-61 tie and helped propel RMU to the win. The Colonials closed the game on a 15-7 surge to claim victory in their first home game as a member of the Horizon League.
 
- Freshman guard Enoch Cheeks contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in the win over the Panthers, while guards Trayden Williams and Cameron Wilbon each scored 10 points. Wilbon added a career-high nine rebounds as RMU outrebounded Milwaukee, 47-32.
 
- Senior forward AJ Bramah ranks in the top five in the Horizon League in six categories entering action this weekend. In addition to leading the league in scoring at 21.2 points per game, Bramah ranks second in field goal percentage (.559), fourth in 20-point scoring efforts (4) and fifth in rebounding (8.5 per game) and free-throw percentage (.821).
 
- Senior guard Jon Williams leads the Horizon League and ranks fourth in NCAA Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.60).
 
- Led by RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials return three starters and five letterwinners from a 2019-20 team that finished with an overall record of 20-14 (.588), including a mark of 13-5 (.722) in the NEC.
 
- The Colonials return 49.5 percent (1,175-of-2,373) of their scoring, 49.4 percent (564-of-1,141) of their rebounding and 66.5 percent (374-of-562) of their assists from the 2019-20 season.
 
- RMU was picked to finish fourth in the 2020 Horizon League Preseason Poll. The poll was conducted by Horizon League head coaches, communication professionals and select members of the media. In addition, senior forward AJ Bramah was named to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team. In 33 games last season, Bramah averaged 13.4 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds.

UIC LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video (1/15/21)
- Video (1/16/21)
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
Milwaukee Tidbits - RMU picked up its first win in three tries all-time against the Panthers with the victory ... The meeting between the Colonials and Panthers was the first since 1977 ... Milwaukee established season highs for an RMU opponent in both three-point field goals (12) and three-point field goal attempts (35) ... The Panthers shot just 33.3 percent (7-for-21) on the game from inside the three-point arc ... Earning their first career starts for RMU against Milwaukee were freshman guard Trayden Williams and junior guard Cameron Wilbon ... The starting lineup for RMU featured three true freshmen, a junior transfer from Bucknell (Kahliel Spear) and Wilbon ... The Colonials owned advantages in points off turnovers (14-9), points in the paint (30-12), second-chance points (22-10) and bench scoring (23-10).
 
Crashing The Glass - RMU posted its first positive margin in rebounding of the year in a 67-64 win over MIlwaukee (1/1/21), grabbing a season-high 47 caroms and recording a margin of +15 (47-32). The trio of AJ Bramah (14), Cameron Wilbon (9) and Enoch Cheeks (7) combined to almost outrebound the Panthers by themselves as the Colonials improved to 46-17 (.730) in 11 seasons under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole when grabbing at least 40 boards in a game. Bramah's performance helped him record his first double-double of the 2020-21 campaign and ninth of his career. In two seasons when Bramah notches a double-double, RMU owns a record of 7-2 (778). In addition, the Colonials are 4-2 (.667) when Bramah eclipses the 20-point plateau, including 2-2 (.500) in 2020-21.
 
Move Over, A.J. - Senior forward AJ Bramah has been as consistent a scorer as any in program history to kick off the 2020-21 campaign for the Colonials. In the first six games, Bramah has paced RMU in scoring in each one, averaging 21.2 points per contest while also grabbing a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game. Bramah's point per game average, in addition to leading the Horizon League and ranking 21st in NCAA Division I, is the highest through the first six games in a season on record. He is also one of just two Colonials in program history to average at least 20 points per game through the first six games of a season, joining forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08). A closer look ...
 

Name	Year	PPG	FG%
AJ Bramah	2020-21	21.2	.559 (52-for-93)
A.J. Jackson	2006-07	20.7	.430 (43-for-100)
Rodney Pryor	2015-16	19.8	.458 (44-for-96)
Karvel Anderson *	2013-14	18.2	.363 (38-for-82)
Myron Walker *	1991-92	18.2	.456 (41-for-90)

 
* Won Northeast Conference (NEC) scoring title
 
It's Early - Just six games into the 2020-21 season, and RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole has already used three different starting lineups as nine different Colonials have earned at least one start. Of the nine different student-athletes to earn a start for RMU this season, four are in their first year as a member of the Colonials and a fifth missed last season due to injury. Rookie guards Enoch Cheeks, Kam Farris and Trayden Williams have each started for RMU in 2020-21, while junior forward Kahliel Speare is in his first year for the Colonials after transferring from Bucknell. Junior guard Cameron Wilbon, meanwhile, missed the 2019-20 season due to injury.
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to a 67-64 win over Milwaukee (1/1/21) in RMU's first home game at the UPMC Events Center as a member of the Horizon League, the Colonials improved to 202-54 (.789) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Under 11th-year head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials owns a mark of 151-47 (.763) when turning the trick. Overall the last 14 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 56.9 percent (257-of-452) of the time.

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