GAME 19
RMU (3-15 / 1-8 #HLMBB) @ Cleveland State (12-4 / 8-1 #HLMBB)
Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 • 3:00 p.m.
Wolstein Center (13,610) • Cleveland, Ohio
 
TV: ESPN+
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
- The RMU men's basketball team concludes a two-game Midwest swing Sunday with a 3:00 p.m. tip against Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center. The Colonials will return home to the UPMC Events Center to close out the month of January after taking on the Vikings.

- RMU opened its swing with an 86-62 loss @ Purdue Fort Wayne (1/21/22). The Mastodons outscored the Colonials, 33-8, over the final 11:46 of the first half to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 43-20 halftime lead. Overall, Purdue Fort Wayne shot 63.6 percent (35-for-55) from the field, including 15-for-24 (62.5%) from deep.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials against the Mastodons with 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds. He shot 8-for-12 from the floor and also added an assist and a steal.
 
- Junior guard Michael Green III contributed 14 points against the Mastodons on the strength of an 11-for-11 performance at the free-throw line while handing out six assists, while junior forward Justin Winston tallied 11 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals off the bench.
 
- 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.

CLEVELAND STATE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – RMU and Cleveland State tip for the 17th time Sunday, with the Vikings owning an 9-7 (.563) advantage in the all-time series. CSU has won five of the last six meetings between the two programs.  In the first meeting between the two teams as Horizon League foes, the Vikings earned a 78-77 victory over the Colonials at the UPMC Events Center (1/7/22). Cleveland State finished 10-for-11 at the free-throw line in the final 4:26 of action to secure the win after grabbing a 65-60 advantage. Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced RMU with a career-high 24 points.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne Notes – The Mastodons swept the 2021-22 season series from the Colonials and now own a 3-1 (.750) edge all-time against RMU ... The Colonials finished with a season-high 13 steals, including four from junior forward Jaron Williams ... RMU is 1-3 (.250) during the 2021-22 campaign when registering at least 10 steals in a contest ... The success rate of 63.6 percent (35-for-55) from the field for the Mastodons is the highest an RMU opponent has shot since Purdue Fort Wayne knocked down 64.2 percent (34-for-53) at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center Dec. 27, 2020 in an 88-82 triumph over the Colonials.
 
Free Is For Me – Michael Green III enters the finale of RMU's two-game road swing having scored in double figures in four consecutive games. Over that stretch the junior guard has provided the Colonials with averages of 15.8 points and 4.0 assists per contest, and where Green has left his mark during that span has been at the free-throw line. In scoring 14 points @ Purdue Fort Wayne (1/21/22), Green finished 11-for-11 at the chalk, the most free throws without a miss for an RMU student-athlete since former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14) finished 12-for-12 at the stripe in a 60-57 win over Saint Francis U (3/8/14) in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament. Green has converted each of his last 20 attempts at the line, boosting his free-throw percentage on the year to 85.3 percent (29-for-34).
 
Can't You Hear Me Knocking? Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks has been a consistent presence for the Colonials in recent weeks, as he has reached double figures in eight of his last 10 games. During that span, Cheeks is averaging 10.6 points while shooting 62.7 percent (37-for-59) from the field and 84 percent (21-for-25) at the free-throw line.
 
At The Rim – RMU has scored at least 30 points in the paint in each of its last 12 games as the Colonials conclude a two-game road trip Sunday at Cleveland State. During that stretch the Colonials are averaging 37.3 points in the lane and have been even or outscored their opponents in the category in 10 of those games. In its three victories this year, the Colonials have averaged 46.7 points in the paint.
 
Surging – Senior forward Kahliel Spear enters Sunday's game @ Cleveland State having scored in double figures in seven 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 6.0 rebounds while shooting 64 percent (48-for-75) from the floor. Spear ranks second in the Horizon League during the 2021-22 season in field goal percentage (.530), trailing only Trey Townsend (.538) of Oakland. Spear also eclipsed the 20-point plateau four times for the Colonials this season, including a career-high 24 points against Cleveland State (1/7/22).
 
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 Sunday's game with an average of 1.22 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 18 games, Spear has provided 29 jams, already surpassing his season total in 18 games from last season. Spear has played 36 contests at RMU and in that span owns 42 dunks.

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