Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team concluded the opening leg of a five-game homestand Sunday at the UPMC Events Center, falling to Purdue Fort Wayne, 76-70. The Colonials dipped to 2-13 (.133) overall during the 2021-22 season, including 0-6 in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Mastodons grabbed their biggest advantage, 50-36, with 12:38 to go and also owned a 12-point cushion with just over 10 minutes left, but RMU hung around by moving to a zone defensively. Jalon Pipkins gave Purdue Fort Wayne a 65-58 lead with 2:51 left with a fadeaway jumper before a three-pointer from junior guard
Michael Green III and a pair of free throws from sophomore guard
Enoch Cheeks trimmed the deficit for the Colonials to 65-63. On the ensuing possession after his pair at the stripe, Cheeks blocked a Damian Chong Qui shot out of bounds. Purdue Fort Wayne (7-7 / 3-3 #HLMBB) made the most of its second opportunity, with Bobby Planutis sinking a three-pointer from the corner to give the Mastodons a 68-63 edge with 1:48 remaining. Purdue Fort Wayne sealed the win with an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line in the final 1:27 of action.
QUOTABLE
"Again, another frustrating game, man," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "I didn't think we had the defensive energy at the beginning that we needed or the game asked us to bring. We just weren't as engaged as we needed to be on both sides of the ball in the first half. I thought we fought in the second half and scrapped our way back into the game, but we weren't ready at the start. That cost us, for sure. There were some slow minds on both sides of the ball, whether it was moving on the flight of the ball or quick decisions on the offensive side of the ball, and it certainly cost us at the end."
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
Since joining the Horizon League, RMU has hosted 10 league games at the UPMC Events Center dating back to last season. Each of those 10 games have been decided by six points or less, including four that have gone to overtime. The Colonials have posted a record of 2-8 (.200) during that stretch. In its first three games of its current five-game homestand, RMU has lost by a combined 11 points.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
RMU shot 51 percent (25-for-49) from the field Sunday, the fourth consecutive home game at the UPMC Events Center the Colonials have shot 50 percent or better from the field. However, RMU suffered 16 turnovers, two days after matching a season high with 20 miscues against Cleveland State (1/7/22). The Mastodons took advantage, owning a 17-9 cushion in points off turnovers.
QUOTABLE
"You don't have enough fingers to plug all of the holes in the dam," Toole said. "You spend extra time on something and something else bubbles up. It comes down to slow decisions. Not being ready. Not anticipating what could happen next. We've had travels the last couple of games that have been inexcusable. Sometimes it's just the ability to simply see and read the game. Turnovers have been spread out pretty evenly, and it's something we have to continue to talk about and address. You keep looking at boxscores and seeing a high shooting percentage, but our opponents consistently are shooting more shots than us because we're giving away possessions. They're getting more shots either from offensive rebounding or getting more shots from the turnovers aspect."
GREEN MEANS GO
The Colonials were led by Green, who scored a season-high 20 points on a 7-for-9 shooting performance from the field while going 3-for-4 at the free-throw line. He also knocked down three of his four attempts from beyond the arc and registered two steals. Senior forward
Kahliel Spear and Cheeks each chipped in 13 points, with Cheeks adding a game-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists and a block. Pipkins led Purdue Fort Wayne with 18 points and also registered five dimes and four steals.
UP NEXT
RMU returns to the UPMC Events Center Thursday, Jan. 13, to host Wright State in a 7:00 p.m. tip. The homestand concludes Saturday, Jan. 15, against Northern Kentucky.
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