GAME 21
Green Bay (4-15 / 3-7 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (4-16 / 2-9 #HLMBB)
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN+
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 wraps up the month of January by concluding a two-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials will host Green Bay Saturday for a 7:00 p.m.
 
- RMU opened the homestand with a 77-53 victory over Milwaukee (1/27/22), its largest margin of victory in two seasons against a Horizon League foe. Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials with a career-high 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field while grabbing nine rebounds.
 
- Junior guard Michael Green III added 13 points, four rebounds and two assists in the win over the Panthers. RMU held the Panthers to a shooting percentage of 34.4 percent (22-for-64), including 1-for-12 (8.3%) from deep.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear has scored in double figures in each of RMU's nine home games at the UPMC Events Center this season, averaging 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Spear is also converting 71.7 percent (66-for-92) of his shots from the floor at home and 70.3 percent (26-for-37) at the chalk.  
 
- The Colonials 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.
 
- 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.

GREEN BAY LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Green Bay) – Green Bay and RMU conclude its 2021-22 season series Saturday at the UPMC Events Center, with the Phoenix having won the first meeting between the two programs back in December. The first meeting ever between the two programs came at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisc., with Green Bay earning a 70-56 win over the Colonials Dec. 2, 2021. Green Bay is one of five opponents the Colonials are facing for the first time this season. RMU also squared off for the first time with UCF, Davidson and Lancaster Bible. The final Horizon League foe the Colonials haven't faced is IUPUI, with the first meeting between the two programs set for Saturday, Feb. 5.
 
Milwaukee Notes – RMU improved to 2-0 against Milwaukee at the UPMC Events Center, but the Panthers own a 3-2 (.600) edge in the all-time series ... The Colonials grabbed their first double digit lead, 24-13, at the 7:19 mark of the opening stanza and owned their largest advantage, 65-35, with 8:10 remaining ... RMU owned advantages in points in the paint (42-34), points off turnovers (13-7) and second-chance points (19-13) ... Milwaukee missed each of its final nine attempts from beyond the arc, including 0-for-6 in the second half ... Junior forward Brandon Stone contributed six points, six boards, two assists and a pair of blocks.
 
Windex – In a 77-53 victory over Milwaukee (1/27/22) that helped RMU earn its second consecutive home victory, the Colonials posted their best rebounding margin (+17) of the 2021-22 season, finishing with a 52-36 edge on the glass. It marks the fourth time under 12th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole the Colonials finished with at least 50 caroms and the most against an NCAA Division I opponent since grabbing 56 in an 89-46 triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson (2/23/13) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials are 4-0 under Toole when registering at least 50 boards in a game.
 
Month Of The Wolf – Senior forward Kahliel Spear will look to put a cap on what's been a fantastic first month of the 2022 calendar year Saturday when the Colonials concluded a two-game homestand by hosting Green Bay. In eight games in January, Spear is averaging 16.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while knocking down 66.7 percent (56-for-84) of his attempts from the field. He's scored in double figures in seven of those games and thanks to an 11-for-14 performance from the field in a 77-53 win over Milwaukee (1/27/22) now leads the Horizon League in field goal percentage at 54.1 percent (111-for-205).
 
Insomniac – 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 Saturday's game againts Green Bay having scored in double figures in six consecutive games, averaging 14.8 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 22 assists over the last six contests, an average of 3.7 per game. Overall during the 2021-22 season, Green ranks 14th in the Horizon League in assists (3.00 per game) and 13th in steals (1.35 per contest).
 
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 20 games this year. As RMU gets set to concluded its January slate Saturday against Green Bay, Cheeks looks to finish the month strong. In eight games during the first month of the calendar year, Cheeks has supplied the Colonials with averages of 10.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 50.8 percent (30-for-59) from the field at 83.3 percent (20-for-24) at the charity stripe. Twice during the month of January Cheeks has tied a season high in scoring with 13 points, coming at home against Purdue Fort Wayne (1/9/22) and on the road @ Cleveland State (1/23/22).
 
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 205-58 (.779) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to a 77-53 triumph over Milwaukee (1/27/22) at the UPMC Events Center, the Colonials improved to 155-51 (.752) 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 54.4 percent (264-of-485) 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 being tied for fifth in the Horizon League with an average of 1.20 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 20 games in 2021-22, Spear has provided 34 jams, and in 38 career contests at RMU he owns 47 dunks (1.24 per game). In addition, Spear owns a career shooting percentage of 54.4 percent (181-for-333) of his shots from the floor as a member of the Colonials. That success rate is tied for fourth in the RMU career records with former forward Skip Koskoski, who also shot 54.4 percent (302-for-555) from 1979 to 1984.

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | RMU Athletics Gameday App

Tweet #BobbyMo