Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team opened a four-game road trip Sunday, falling to Bowling Green at the Stroh Center, 100-74, in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Colonials dipped to 1-9 (.100) overall.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sophomore guard
Kam Farris connected for a three-pointer at the 10:11 mark of the first half that tied the score, 24-24, but a 15-3 run helped the Falcons open up their first double-digit advantage, 39-27, with 4:56 to go before halftime. Brenton Mills started the surge by matching the triple by Farris, and he hit another to give BGSU a 30-26 lead. The Falcons also got six consecutive points from Chandler Turner, who finished perfect from the field Sunday in scoring 13 points. Turner knocked down each of his five shots from the field, including his lone attempt from deep, and was also 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. Bowling Green (6-4) eventually grabbed a 47-33 lead at the break.
QUOTABLE
"Turnovers were critical and lack of individual defense," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "It was the inability to guard your guy. As simplistic as it sounds, sometimes that's how it has to be. We refuse to keep it simple. Too many of our guys went one-on-one and didn't get any resistance. We talk to our guys all the time about defending, and we just can't get over the hump. There's the understanding piece, which is a huge part. I don't think we fully understand or fully embrace some of the things we're trying to do."
TURN IT ON AGAIN
The Colonials suffered 20 turnovers Sunday against Bowling Green, with the Falcons turning that into 24 points and holding a 24-10 advantage in the category. BGSU grabbed its biggest lead, 85-57, with 6:30 to go after a three-pointer from Joe Reece, who tied for game-high honors in scoring with 19 points. Daeqwon Plowden also scored 19 points for the Falcons, who shot 51.3 percent (39-for-76) from the field and had five players reach double figures in scoring. Brenton Mills also scored 13 points off the bench like Turner, while Trey Diggs added 11.
A NEW START
Earning his first start in an RMU uniform Sunday was junior forward
Matt Mayers, who paced the Colonials with 15 points. He shot 6-for-11 from the field and was true on each of his three attempts at the free-throw line while also grabbing four rebounds. Farris chipped in 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a 3-for-5 performance from beyond the arc, while off the bench junior guard
Michael Green III finished with 14 points.
QUOTABLE
"It's just so hard, because if you see a bright spot from someone, we give it back in other areas," Toole said. "You have to be able to do all of it, which is execute on the offensive end and get a stop on defense. That's the part that has become such a challenge from a coaching perspective. It's the urgency to making decisions. We're making the game a lot harder than it needs to be. You have to trust in the game plan and trust in your teammates."
UP NEXT
RMU concludes the non-conference portion of its 2020-21 slate Wednesday, Dec. 22, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Saint Francis U in Loretto, Pa., at DeGol Arena. The four-game road swing also includes a pair against Horizon League foes.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | RMU Athletics Gameday App
