Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team wrapped up a five-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center Saturday by snapping a five-game losing streak with a 74-64 victory over Northern Kentucky. The Colonials improved to 3-14 (.176) overall during the 2021-22 campaign, including 1-7 (.125) in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The first four games of RMU's homestand were decided by a total of 13 points, but the Colonials never trailed Saturday in picking up their first league triumph. RMU grabbed an early 8-2 advantage thanks to four points from senior forward
Kahliel Spear, and after NKU (6-9 / 2-4 #HLMBB) closed to within 8-6, the Colonials used a 9-2 burst to open up a 17-8 advantage with 9:22 to go in the opening stanza. Junior forward
Jaron Williams opened the run with a three-pointer as four different Colonials scored. RMU eventually entered the break with a 35-28 lead as Spear scored 13 points in the first half.
QUOTABLE
"Really happy for the guys and the way they performed tonight and finally getting over the hump," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "It's never easy. We did a lot of good things, especially down the stretch of that game. We came up with some big stops and some big rebounds and scrapped out some hustle plays. It was unselfish basketball. Really proud of the guys, who are obviously excited. We've been close the last handful of games. We came out with great purpose and defended really well to start the game. They were the aggressor to start the second half, and it certainly rattled us for a second. We were able to handle it and were able to attack on a couple of occasions to get some easy baskets. I think that helped us feel like we still had control of the game."
FIRST FIVE MINUTES
The Norse opened the second half with a 7-2 spurt that featured five points from reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year Marques Warrick to close to within 37-35, but after a couple of empty possessions by both teams, sophomore guard
Kam Farris converted a three-point play to give RMU a 40-35 edge. The Colonials stretched their lead to 48-40 thanks to consecutive buckets from junior guard
Michael Green III before a 6-0 spurt helped Northern Kentucky make it a one-possession contest, 48-46, with 11:42 to go. Farris responded with a baseline jumper and a three-pointer to give RMU some cushion, 53-46.
ATTACK THE RIM
As has been the case the entire homestand, the Colonials found success in the paint Saturday against NKU, outscoring the Norse in the lane, 44-30. Spear tied for game-high honors in scoring with 21 points on an 8-for-13 shooting performance from the field while also going 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. He grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the 2021-22 season while also handing out a career-high four assists and posting a pair of rejections. During RMU's five-game homestand, Spear supplied averages of 16.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while converting 67.3 percent (35-for-52) of his shots from the floor. He has reached double-figures in scoring in six consecutive games.
QUOTABLE
"Being a senior and knowing I have four years of experience, some of the younger guys lean on me for advice or points during the game," Spear said. "It's definitely important I be a vocal leader. At times it can be hard, especially when things aren't going our way. It's an area I need to and am willing to improve in. To finally get over that hump it felt good today. I feel like us losing those close games had us more on edge at the end of this game to want to finish it. We're using our past experiences to move on. We all feel positive momentum moving through our practices and through our games."
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
For the third consecutive game RMU shot better than 50 percent from the field, knocking down 51.9 percent (27-for-52) of its shots against the Norse. Green III added 14 points and five assists Saturday for the Colonials, while Farris scored 13 points. Warrick tied for game-high honors with Spear in scoring with 21 points for Northern Kentucky on the strength of a 10-for-12 performance at the free-throw line. Defensively, the Colonials held NKU to a shooting percentage of 36.2 percent (21-for-58), including a 4-for-23 performance (17.4%) from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
RMU travels to Fort Wayne, Ind., Friday, Jan. 21, for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Purdue Fort Wayne and will also visit Cleveland State Sunday, Jan. 23, before closing out the month of January with a pair of games at the UPMC Events Center.
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