Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team opened the Kentucky Classic Friday in Lexington, Ky., dropping a 100-60 to No. 10 Kentucky at Rupp Arena. The Colonials slipped to 0-2 overall on the 2021-22 season with the setback.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Wildcats (1-1) grabbed an early 13-2 advantage after Kellen Grady converted a three-point play courtesy of a foul from Justin Winston. Grady was one of six Wildcats to reach double figures in scoring with a game-high 19 points. He shot 7-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. The Colonials were able to use a quick 6-2 burst to close to within 16-10. Fifth-year guard Rasheem Dunn knocked down a pair of free throws, while junior guard Michael Green III scored four quick points, including a fastbreak layup after picking the pocket of Davion Mintz.
HOT SHOOTING
Kentucky shot 57.1 percent (40-for-70) from the field on the contest and was also successful on over half their attempts from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 of their 23 attempts (52.2%). In addition to the four long balls from Grady, Mintz finished 4-for-5 in scoring 13 points off the bench for Kentucky. The Colonials finished 7-for-22 from international waters and were led by Winston, who converted three of his six attempts on the night.
QUOTABLE
"I thought Kentucky played an outstanding game and we did not," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole said. "We'll have to go back and review the film and bandage ourselves up before we can figure out what the positives are. I thought there were some signs of life for Matt Mayers, and I thought Mattia gave us some decent minutes. We've got to continue to build our depth and our rotation and try to figure out what combination of guys can go out on the floor and contribute in a positive way."
SPEARMINT
While Green led the Colonials with 12 points, all of which came in the first half, senior forward Kahliel Spear continued his solid start to the new season by finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and a pair of rejections. He owns four blocks through the first two contests of the 2021-22 campaign and also has finished with at least two rejections in five of his last seven games dating back to last year.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Off the bench for RMU against the Wildcats, junior forward Matt Mayers finished with six points and six caroms, three of which came on the offensive glass. He shot 3-for-5 from the field and also registered a block. Kentucky owned a 43-24 advantage on the glass and was led by Oscar Tshiebwe, who grabbed a game-high 20 boards. Tshiebwe also contributed 14 points and three rejections, and of his 20 rebounds, 10 came on the offensive glass as the Wildcats held an 18-5 edge in second-chance scoring.
UP NEXT
RMU continues play in the Kentucky Classic Monday, Nov. 15, by traveling to Athens, Ohio, to take on Ohio University at 7:00 p.m. at the Convo.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | RMU Athletics Gameday App
