GAME 16
Wright State (8-7 / 5-1 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (2-13 / 0-6 #HLMBB)
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN+ / 22 The Point / MeTV Ohio Valley
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team continues its longest homestand of the 2021-22 season Thursday by hosting Wright State in a 7:00 p.m. tip at the UPMC Events Center. It marks the fourth tilt of a five-game homestand.
 
- The Colonials will wrap up their homestand by hosting Northern Kentucky Saturday, Jan. 15, at 7:00 p.m. RMU entered its homestand having played just three of its first 12 games at home but are in the midst of a stretch of 11 of 16 contests at the UPMC Events Center.
 
- RMU dropped a 76-70 decision to Purdue Fort Wayne (1/9/22) in its last outing. Each of RMU's 10 conference games at the UPMC Events Center as a member of the Horizon League have been decided by six points or less, including four that have gone to overtime. RMU is 2-8 (.200) in those contests.
 
- Junior guard Michael Green III paced the Colonials against the Mastodons with a season-high 20 points. He shot 7-for-9 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-4 at the free-throw line while also registering a pair of steals.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear contributed 13 points, four rebounds and a block against Purdue Fort Wayne, while sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks finished with 13 points, a game-high seven rebounds, three assists and a rejection.
 
- In six games at the UPMC Events Center so far this season, senior forward Kahliel Spear has been RMU's top producer, averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. He has shot an absolute white hot 72.7 percent (40-for-55) from the floor at home this year and in 14 career games at the UPMC Events Center owns a shooting percentage of 63 percent (63-for-100).
 
- Prior to dropping its decision to Purdue Fort Wayne, the Colonials suffered a one-point loss to Cleveland State (1/7/22), 78-77. Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials against the Vikings with a career-high 24 points while adding six rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks. He shot 10-for-13 from the floor against CSU and was also 4-for-6 at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks added 12 points against the Vikings, while junior forward Jaron Williams scored 11 off the bench.
 
- In the opener of its five-game homestand, Youngstown State (1/5/22) turned a 49-47 deficit into a 56-49 lead with a 9-0 run en route to a 64-60 win over RMU. Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks notched his second career double-double against the Penguins with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear added 11 points, three caroms and three blocks against the Penguins, while sophomore guard Kam Farris scored 10 points, knocking down two of his four attempts from beyond the arc.

WRIGHT STATE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Wright State) – Wright State and RMU meet for just the third time Thursday, with the Raiders having won both games of a two-game set in Dayton, Ohio, last season. In the first meeting between the two programs Jan. 29, 2021, Wright State used a 16-6 run in the second half to open up its first double-digit lead of the contest, 58-48, en route to a 79-70 victory at the Nutter Center. The Raiders completed the sweep of the two-game set by posting an 86-56 win over RMU Jan. 30, 2021. Guard Kam Farris averaged 12.5 points in the two-game series while converting 58.8 percent (10-for-17) of his attempts from the field, including a 5-for-8 (62.5%) performance from deep.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne Notes – The Mastodons grabbed a 2-1 (.667) advantage in an all-time series that began last year ... RMU shot 51 percent (25-for-49) from the field and owned a 32-25 cushion in rebounding but suffered eight more turnovers (16-8) than Purdue Fort Wayne ... The Mastodons outscored the Colonials, 17-9, in points off turnovers ... Each team scored 30 points in the paint and registered 10 second-chance points ... RMU trimmed its deficit to 65-63 with just over two minutes to play, but Bobby Planutis hit a three-pointer with 1:48 remaining to give Purdue Fort Wayne a 68-63 edge.
 
Mirror Image – RMU and Wright State enter the first meeting between the two programs in 2021-22 similar in more ways than one. The Raiders rank second in the Horizon League in field goal percentage (.459), while the Colonials sit third (.458). At the charity stripe, WSU sits fourth in the league at 77.1 percent (232-for-301), while RMU ranks sixth (.758). The Colonials own the advantage in three-point shooting, having knocked down 33.4 percent (96-for-287) to rank fourth in #HLMBB.
 
Home On The Range – Senior Kahliel Spear has been active on both sides of the ball during RMU's five-game homestand, as he has provided averages of 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over the first three games. He has also shot 69 percent (20-for-29) from the floor. Spear is one of just two Colonials to start each of RMU's 15 games in 2021-22, joining sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks. During RMU's homestand, Cheeks has averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting an even 60 percent (12-for-20) from the field. Combined, Spear and Cheeks have also converted 86.3 percent (19-for-22) of their chances at the free-throw line in the last three games, with Cheeks a perfect 11-for-11.
 
Did You Know? RMU has scored at least 30 points in the paint in each of its last nine games entering Thursday's contest against Wright State. During that stretch the Colonials are averaging 37.1 points in the paint and have been even or outscored their opponents in seven of those games. During its five-game homestand, RMU has averaged 36.0 points in the paint.
 
Block Party – RMU is in the midst of its best stretch of the 2021-22 campaign protecting the rim. The Colonials have recorded at least five blocks in four of their last six games, compiling 31 blocks (5.2 per contest) during that stretch. To put that in perspective, RMU posted 23 blocks over its first nine games of the season. In the last six games, junior forward Matt Mayers owns eight rejections, while senior forward Kahliel Spear has blocked seven shots. In 33 career games at RMU over the last two seasons, Spear has notched 41 rejections (1.24 per contest), and in 79 career tilts at the NCAA Division I level has recorded 71 blocks.
 
Dunk You Very Much – Senior forward Kahliel Spear is as active as any member of the Colonials in recent years at the rim, and you just have to look at the numbers. In addition to ranking fifth in the Horizon League entering Thursday's tilt with Wright State with an average of 1.20 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 15 games, Spear has provided 21 jams, already surpassing his season total in 18 games last season. Spear has played 33 games at RMU and in that span owns 34 dunks.

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