GAME 20
Milwaukee (7-13 / 5-6 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (3-16 / 1-9 #HLMBB)
Thursday, Jan. 27, 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 closes out the month of January with a pair of games at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials welcome Milwaukee Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. tip before wrapping up the homestand Saturday, Jan. 29, against Green Bay.
 
- RMU wrapped up a two-game road swing through the Midwest with a 75-68 setback @ Cleveland State (1/23/22). Junior forward Brandon Stone led the Colonials off the bench with 14 points, converting five of his seven shots from the field, including 2-for-3 from deep, while going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line.
 
- Junior guard Michael Green III and sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks combined for 26 points and eight assists against the Vikings, with each finishing with 13 points and four dimes. Junior forward Jaron Williams added 11 points.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear has scored in double figures in each of RMU's eight home games at the UPMC Events Center this season, averaging 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Spear is also converting 70.5 percent (55-for-78) of his shots from the floor at home and 72.7 percent (24-for-33) at the chalk.  
 
- RMU opened its Midwest 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.
 
- 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.

MILWAUKEE LINKS
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- RMU Athletics Gameday App
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The All-Time Series (Milwaukee) – Milwaukee and RMU square off for the fifth time Thursday, with the Panthers owning a 3-1 (.750) advantage in the all-time series. In the first game of the 2021-22 season series at UWM Panther Arena (12/4/21), the Panthers used a 12-2 run to grab a 73-63 advantage en route to a 77-69 triumph over the Colonials. Sophomore guard Kam Farris scored 14 points for RMU, while senior forward Kahliel Spear added 10.
 
Cleveland State Notes – The Vikings have won six of the last seven meetings over the Colonials and lead the all-time series, 10-7 (.588) ... In the season series against Cleveland State, junior forward Brandon Stone averaged 11.5 points while shooting 69.2 percent (9-for-13) from the floor ... In his other nine games, Stone has scored 31 points (3.4 per contest) ... The Colonials posted a 44-27 advantage in rebounding, its largest margin (+17) of the 2021-22 campaign against a Horizon League foe ... RMU has outrebounded five of its last six opponents but is just 1-4 (.200) in those games ... The Vikings outscored the Colonials, 18-10, in points off turnovers.
 
Green Day – Junior guard Michael Green III has settled into his role in recent weeks as RMU's primary point guard, both as a scorer and a distributor. Green enters Thursday's game against Milwaukee having scored in double figures in five consecutive games, averaging 15.2 points per game during that stretch. Included in that span is a season-high 20 points against Purdue Fort Wayne (1/9/22) at the UPMC Events Center. In addition, Green has dished out 20 assists over the last five contests, an average of 4.0 per game, and overall ranks 13th in the Horizon League in the category (3.06 per game).
 
Can't You Hear Me Knocking? Also growing into his role in 2021-22 has been sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks, who along with senior forward Kahliel Spear are the only Colonials to start each of RMU's 19 games this year. Cheeks has scored in double figures in nine of his last 12 games, including a season-high 13 points three times. During that span, Cheeks is shooting 57.7 percent (45-for-78) from the field, including 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from beyond the arc, and 78.1 percent (25-for-32) at the free-throw line. To prove he owns a well-rounded game, Cheeks is also averaging 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals over the last 12 contests. In addition, entering the final two games of January, Cheeks is providing RMU with averages of 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in games at the UPMC Events Center.
 
Defense Wins Championships – The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Over the last 15 years, RMU owns a record of 204-58 (.779) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to a 74-64 triumph over Northern Kentucky (1/15/22) that concluded a five-game homestand, the Colonials improved to 154-51 (.751) under 12th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick. Overall in the last 15 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 54.3 percent (263-of-484) of the time.
 
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 game with an average of 1.21 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 19 games in 2021-22, Spear has provided 30 jams, and in 37 career contests at RMU he owns 43 dunks (1.16 per game). In addition, Spear enters Thursday's game against Milwaukee having converted 53.3 percent (170-for-319) of his shots from the floor as a member of the Colonials. That success rate is tied for fifth in the RMU career records with former forward Matt Smith, who also shot 53.3 percent (280-for-525) from 1998 to 2002.

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