GAME 3
West Virginia Wesleyan (0-2) vs. RMU (1-1)
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN+
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team concludes a two-game homestand Wednesday by welcoming West Virginia Wesleyan for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the UPMC Events Center.
 
- The Colonials notched their first win of the 2022-23 campaign with an 84-49 victory over Pitt Greensburg (11/9/22) to open their homestand. Junior guard Enoch Cheeks paced RMU in the triumph with 20 points while also adding four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
 
- Junior guard Josh Corbin contributed 12 points, three rebounds and three dimes in the win over the Bobcats, while sophomore guard Jackson Last tallied 10 points and three assists. As a team, RMU knocked down 50.8 percent (33-for-65) of its shots from the field in the victory.
 
- The Colonials opened their 47th season of NCAA Division I basketball @ Ohio State (11/7/22), dropping a 91-53 decision. Junior guard Enoch Cheeks scored 17 points to lead RMU and also recorded two rebounds and a block.
 
- Freshman Stephaun Walker earned his first collegiate start in his collegiate debut @ Ohio State (11/7/22), contributing 10 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. He knocked down four of his eight shots from the field.
 
- In a vote of Horizon League head coaches, fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear was named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team. Spear paced the Colonials in both scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) last season, with his per game averages ranking 11th and fourth, respectively, in #HLMBB. In addition, Spear also paced the Horizon League in field goal percentage, converting 55.1 percent (188-for-341) of his attempts from the field.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear is RMU's active leader in both points and rebounds as the Colonials get set to host West Virginia Wesleyan. In two seasons at RMU, Spear has scored 661 points (12.7 ppg) and grabbed 350 rebounds (6.7 per contest). Overall in four seasons at the NCAA Division I level after transferring from Bucknell, Spear owns 833 points and 462 caroms.
 
- The Colonials entered the 2022-23 campaign returning 57.6 percent (1,279-of-2,220) of their scoring from last season, 61.9 percent (646-of-1,043) of their rebounding and 62 percent (251-of-405) of their assists.
 
- A total of 11 new Colonials are part of the 2022-23 roster for RMU, including four transfers. Junior guard Josh Corbin is a transfer from Winthrop, while sophomores Chris Ford, Trey James and Kevin Martina spent the 2021-22 season at Davidson, Iona and Sam Houston State, respectively.
 
- RMU takes to the road for seven consecutive games after hosting the Bobcats, beginning Saturday, Nov. 19, with a 1:00 p.m. tip at No. 24 Dayton.

WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (West Virginia Wesleyan) – Wednesday's contest against the Bobcats marks the first in the all-time series between the two programs. West Virginia Wesleyan is one of three opponents RMU has never faced prior to the 2022-23 season in school history. In addition to an 84-49 win over Pitt Greensburg (11/9/22), the Colonials will also face Mercer for the first time ever in the opening game of the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic in Savannah, Ga., at Enmarket Arena Friday, Nov. 25.
 
Pitt Greensburg Notes – The 2022-23 home opener for RMU against Pitt Greensburg was the first game in the all-time series between the two programs ... The Colonials used a 10-0 spurt early to turn a 6-5 deficit into a 15-6 advantage ... RMU converted 50.8 percent (33-for-65) of its shots from the field, including an even 50 percent (14-for-28) from beyond the arc ... Jojo France scored a game-high 23 points for the Bobcats on the strength of a 9-for-10 performance at the free-throw line ... The Colonials handed out 18 assists, with four different student-athletes registering at least three dimes ... RMU owned a 34-18 edge in points in the paint.
 
Mo Cheeks – Each student-athlete has its own line of development, and one starting to blossom for RMU is junior guard Enoch Cheeks. Cheeks has paced the Colonials in scoring in each of the first two games of the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 17 @ Ohio State (11/7/22) while scoring 20 in an 84-59 win over Pitt Greensburg (11/9/22). Cheeks has now scored in double figures in each of his last four games dating back to last season. During that span he is averaging 17.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per contest while shooting 54.5 percent (24-for-44) from the floor.
 
The List Grows – Forward Stephaun Walker became the 12th student-athlete in program history to start his NCAA collegiate debut as a true freshman when he was a member of the starting five @ Ohio State (11/7/22). Walker, who scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds against the Buckeyes, is also the eighth student-athlete under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole to start their first game as a rookie. He joins a list that also includes junior guard Enoch Cheeks, who was the last to start as a true freshman in a 75-57 win over Point Park (12/5/20) at the UPMC Events Center.
 
Defense Wins Championships – The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Over the last 16 years, RMU owns a record of 210-59 (.780) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to an 84-49 win over Pitt Greensburg (11/9/22) in their 2022-23 home opener, the Colonials improved to 159-52 (.752) under 13th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick. Overall in the last 16 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 53.9 percent (268-of-499) of the time.
 
Did You Know? Thanks to an 84-49 win over Pitt Greensburg (11/9/22) that opened the home portion of RMU's 2022-23 schedule, the Colonials stretched their winning streak to 10 dating to the 2019-20 season when holding opponents to under 60 points. Overall under 13th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 78-8 (.907) when turning the trick.
 
The RMU 500 – A program first goes down Wednesday when the Colonials host West Virginia Wesleyan at the UPMC Events Center. RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole will be on the sideline for his 500th game with the Colonials. Having spent his first three years with the program as both an assistant and associate head coach under former head coach Mike Rice (2007-10), RMU posted an overall record of 73-31 (.702) during those three seasons. Toole has amassed a 201-194 (.509) mark as head coach of the Colonials, and he is the first coach in program history to be on the sideline at RMU for 500 games. Former assistant and head coach Jarrett Durham was on the sideline for 431 games with the Colonials from 1981 to 1996.

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