GAME 18
RMU (3-14 / 1-7 #HLMBB) @ Purdue Fort Wayne (9-8 / 4-4 #HLMBB)
Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (10,240) • Fort Wayne, Ind.
 
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Brett Rump (pxp) & John Nolan (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 heads out on the road for a two-game swing, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. tip Friday against Purdue Fort Wayne at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Colonials will also travel to Cleveland State Sunday, Feb. 23.
 
- RMU concluded a five-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center by earning a 74-64 victory over Northern Kentucky (1/15/22). The Colonials never trailed in earning the wire-to-wire win as senior forward Kahliel Spear recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
 
- Junior guard Michael Green III contributed 14 points and five assists in the triumph over the Norse, while sophomore guard Kam Farris scored 13 points as RMU knocked down 51.9 percent (27-for-52) of its shots from the field in the win.
 
- During its five-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center, the Colonials shot 49.6 percent (134-for-270) from the field despite only converting 27.2 percent (22-for-81) of their attempts from beyond the arc. At the free-throw line, RMU converted 82.1 percent (64-for-78) during the five games.
 
- Leading the way during the homestand for the Colonials was senior forward Kahliel Spear, who averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 67.3 percent (35-for-52). Included during the homestand was a career-high 24 points against Cleveland State (1/7/22) on 10-of-13 shooting.
 
- RMU opened the final leg of its homestand with a 75-73 loss to Wright State (1/13/22). A total of 11 of RMU's 12 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 2-9 (.182) in those contests.
 
- Sophomore guard Kam Farris led four Colonials in double figures against the Raiders with 20 points. He knocked down eight of his 10 shots from the field, including a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc, while also compiling three rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear and junior guard Michael Green III each finished with 15 points against Wright State, with Spear adding three rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocks and Green handing out five assists. Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks contributed 11 points, five boards and three steals.
 
- On the road in the Horizon League, sophomore guard Kam Farris has averaged 11.0 points in three games, shooting 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from the field, including 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from beyond the arc. Junior forward Justin Winston has played in two of RMU's three Horizon League road games, both of which were starts, and averaged 11.5 points @ Green Bay (12/2/21) and Milwaukee (12/4/21), including a season-high 16 points against the Phoenix.

PURDUE FORT WAYNE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Purdue Fort Wayne) – Friday's game marks the fourth in the all-time series between Purdue Fort Wayne and RMU. The Mastodons own a 2-1 (.667) advantage after securing a 76-70 win over the Colonials in the first game of the 2021-22 season series at the UPMC Events Center (1/9/22). The Mastodons grabbed a 50-36 with 12:38 remaining before RMU was able to whittle its deficit to 65-63, but Bobby Planutis hit a three-pointer in the corner with 1:48 to go after an offensive rebound to help Purdue Fort Wayne keep the Colonials at bay. Junior guard Michael Green III led RMU with 20 points.
 
Northern Kentucky Notes – RMU picked up its first victory in three games of an all-time series that began last year ... The Colonials held Northern Kentucky to a shooting percentage of 36.2 percent (21-for-58), including just 17.4 percent (4-for-23) from beyond the arc ... Both marks were season lows by a Horizon League foe ... RMU held a 34-32 edge on the glass despite being outrebounded, 17-10, in offensive rebounds ... Reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year Marques Warrick tied for game-high honors with 21 points despite shooting just 5-for-15 from the floor, including 1-for-9 from deep.
 
At The Rim – RMU has scored at least 30 points in the paint in each of its last 11 games as the Colonials open a two-game road swing Friday at Purdue Fort Wayne. During that stretch the Colonials are averaging 37.8 points in the lane and have been even or outscored their opponents in the category in nine of those games. During its five-game homestand, RMU averaged 37.8 points in the paint, including 44 in a 74-64 win over Northern Kentucky (1/15/22), a season high against a Horizon League foe. In its three victories during the 2021-22 season, the Colonials have averaged 46.7 points in the paint.
 
Green Day – Michael Green III settled in for the Colonials in the final three games of RMU's homestand at the UPMC Events Center, scoring in double figures in each contest. During that stretch the junior guard averaged 16.3 points, including a season-high 20 points against Purdue Fort Wayne (1/9/22), and 3.3 assists while converting 52.9 percent (18-for-34) of his shots from the field. In his first 11 games in an RMU uniform, Green scored in double figures three times.
 
Surging – Senior forward Kahliel Spear enters Friday's game @ Purdue Fort Wayne having scored in double figures in six consecutive games, the longest streak by a member of the Colonials during the 2021-22 campaign. Over that span, Spear is supplying RMU with averages 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 63.5 percent (40-for-63) from the floor. Spear ranks second in the Horizon League during the 2021-22 season in field goal percentage (.520) and 14th in free-throw percentage (.754).
 
Building Blocks – RMU is coming off a five-game homestand in which it posted 25 blocks (5.0 per contest), including 10 from senior forward Kahliel Spear. The Colonials enter Friday's game @ Purdue Fort Wayne ranked second in the Horizon League in rejections with an average of 3.76 per game, trailing only Milwaukee (3.78). RMU is on pace to finish the 2021-22 regular season with 113 rejections, which would be the first time the Colonials notched at least 100 blocks in a season since establishing a school record with 127 in 2015-16.
 
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 third in the Horizon League entering Friday's tilt @ Purdue Fort Wayne with an average of 1.29 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 17 games, Spear has provided 26 jams, already surpassing his season total in 18 games last season. Spear has played 35 games at RMU and in that span owns 39 dunks.

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