GAME 4
Mount St. Mary's (1-3) vs. RMU (0-3)
KENTUCKY CLASSIC
Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN3
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team concludes the Kentucky Classic Friday by opening the home portion of its 2021-22 schedule with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff against Mount St. Mary's at the UPMC Events Center.
 
- The Colonials have dropped their first two games of the Kentucky Classic and are coming off an 85-71 setback @ Ohio (11/15/21) in their second game of the tournament. Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced RMU by tying a career-high with 22 points while also grabbing eight rebounds.
 
- Off the bench against the Bobcats, senior forward Jaron Williams contributed 19 points and five rebounds, while junior forward Justin Winston chipped in 11 points and six boards.
 
- In its first game of the Kentucky Classic, RMU fell to No. 10 Kentucky, 100-60, at Rupp Arena. Junior guard Michael Green III led the Colonials with 12 points against the Wildcats, shooting 5-for-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, and added four assists and three steals.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks @ Kentucky (11/12). Spear owns four blocks through three games of the 2021-22 campaign and 27 rejections in 21 contests as a member of the Colonials, an average of 1.29 per game.
 
- RMU opened its 2021-22 season and 46th year of NCAA Division I basketball with a 69-59 setback @ Central Florida (11/10/21). Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks recorded his first career double-double against the Knights with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
 
- In his first game as a member of the Colonials, fifth-year guard Rasheem Dunn tied Cheeks for team-high honors in scoring with 12 points @ UCF (11/10/21). He also added five rebounds and three assists.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear chipped in 10 points, five caroms, three assists and a pair of blocks in the season opener against the Knights. He shot 3-for-7 from the floor and was true on each of his four attempts at the charity stripe.
 
- Led by 12th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials return two starters and three letterwinners in 2021-22, including sophomore guard Kam Farris and senior forward Kahliel Spear. The duo combined to score 319 points in 2020-21. Farris has not played the first three games of the season.
 
- The Colonials return 28.6 percent (393-of-1,374) of their scoring, 26.2 percent (169-of-646) of their rebounding and 15.7 percent (47-of-299) of their assists from the 2020-21 campaign. Senior forward Kahliel Spear averaged 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 18 games for RMU last year, including 10 starts.

MOUNT ST. MARY'S LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- Weekly Availability
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Mount St. Mary's) - Former rivals in the Northeast Conference (NEC), Friday's home opener for RMU against the Mount marks the 72nd meeting between the two programs. The Colonials own a 36-35 (.507) edge in an all-time series that dates back to 1990. The last game between RMU and Mount St. Mary's came at the UPMC Events Center (2/21/20), a 68-60 win over the Colonials. In that victory former guard Josh Williams (2015-20) scored a game-high 22 points, knocking down five three-pointers, while forward Yannis Mendy (2018-20) contributed 13 points.
 
Ohio Notes - RMU slipped to 6-5 (.545) all-time against the Bobcats and had a four-game winning streak in the series snapped ... The Colonials shot a season-high 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field, including 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the second half ... Ohio owned a 36-30 edge in rebounding, including a 12-5 cushion on the offensive glass ... RMU handed out 12 assists, with eight of the nine Colonials to see playing time dishing out at least one dime.
 
All Along The Watchtower - Kahliel Spear has opened the 2021-22 season with consistent play from the forward spot, as he tied a career high with 22 points while grabbing eight rebounds @ Ohio (11/15/21). Spear originally established a career high in scoring with 22 points @ Detroit Mercy (2/25/21) in the first round of the 2021 Horizon League Tournament. Dating back to last season, Spear has reached double figures in scoring in five consecutive games, producing averages of 14.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks during that stretch while shooting 48.4 percent (30-for-62) from the floor.
 
Toe The Line - Getting to the free-throw line has been a point of emphasis for RMU for the 2021-22 season, and through three games the Colonials have done just that. RMU is shooting 84.6 percent (33-for-39) at the stripe early this year, averaging 13.0 trips per contest. Fifth-year guard Rasheem Dunn has visited the chalk the most for the Colonials, knocking down 12 of his 16 attempts (75%), while senior forward Kahliel Spear is shooting a team-high 90.9 percent (10-for-11).
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Over the last 15 years, RMU owns a record of 202-57 (.780) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Under 12th-year head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials own a mark of 151-50 (.751) when turning the trick. Overall the last 15 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 55.3 percent (259-of-468) of the time after holding UCF to 69 points in its 2021-22 season opener.

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