Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team concluded a two-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center Wednesday, posting a 111-56 win over West Virginia Wesleyan. The Colonials improved to 2-1 (.667) overall during the 2022-23 season with the victory.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Junior guard
Josh Corbin opened the scoring in the contest with a three-pointer from the far corner on a feed from
Enoch Cheeks, and just under a minute and-a-half later forward
Kahliel Spear found Corbin open in the near corner. Corbin promptly knocked down the triple to give the Colonials an early 8-0 advantage as RMU connected for 11 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes of action. Corbin finished 5-for-6 from deep in the first half, while Cheeks added a 4-for-5 performance from downtown as the Colonials surged to a 60-21 cushion at the break.
QUOTABLE
"We had really good energy to start the game," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "Defensively we stayed engaged for the majority of the 40 minutes. When you make shots at the rate we made them today, you're going to win some games. We've got to remain locked in on that defensive and rebounding side. It's human nature to look at the scoreboard. We talked at halftime about trying to maintain our energy level and focus. Every possession is an opportunity for us to get better in our defensive formula and for guys to learn, grow, get better and build trust with their teammates."
WESLEY SNIPES
RMU matched its single-game record for points in its victory over West Virginia Wesleyan thanks to 111. In addition to being the most points scored by an RMU team since a 111-107 overtime loss @ Seton Hall, which comes two days shy of 15 years ago, the scoreboard tally by the Colonials Wednesday matches the total in a 111-69 triumph over Ohio Wesleyan (12/1/81), which came at John Jay Center. As for that game against the Pirates …
THE RMU 500
The 111-107 overtime loss @ Seton Hall (11/18/07) marked the third game that Toole was on the sidelines at RMU, as during the 2007-08 campaign he served as an assistant coach under Mike Rice, who recorded an overall record of 73-31 (.702) in his three years leading the Colonials from 2007 to 2010. In his 16th year as head coach at RMU, and having served under Rice for the three previous campaigns, the victory over West Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday marked the 500th game on the sidelines for Toole with the Colonials.
QUOTABLE
"You have to keep your focus small, and it has to be possession by possession," Toole said. "You can't necessarily look at the score. Are we doing the right things based on what the game is asking us to do? Are we closing out properly? Are we properly positioned? Are we communicating the way we need to? Part of our job is to coach those things every possession. We have to hold our players to that level. For the majority of the game tonight I thought we executed the way we wanted to execute."
DYNAMIC DUO
Cheeks and Corbin combined for 41 points in the win over the Bobcats, shooting better from beyond the arc (68.7%) than overall (68.4%). Cheeks tied a career high with 21 points and also added team-high totals in assists (6), steals (4) and blocks (2), while Corbin scored 20 points on the strength of a 6-for-10 performance from beyond the arc while also registering three steals. Also finishing in double figures off the bench for RMU was sophomore guard
Chris Ford (12) and senior forward
Matt Mayers (11). As a team, the Colonials converted 62.5 percent (40-for-64) of their attempts from the floor.
QUOTABLE
"It's easy to be smiling and laughing when you score 111 points," Toole said. "We'll see when adversity hits. If you score 11, how well can you stay together in that environment? That's when you'll know if you have that camaraderie and the team has gelled the way you want it to. Those are the tests. Those are the times you figure out what you're really made of is when it's hard, not when it's easy. These guys have done a great job this year of responding to the coaching. They're executing what we're asking them to execute. There's going to be adversity because it always comes regardless. That's when we'll see what we're made of."
UP NEXT
RMU now takes to the road for its next seven contests, beginning Saturday, Nov. 19, with a 1:00 p.m. tip against No. 24 Dayton at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The Colonials will also play a trio of games in Savannah, Ga., as part of the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic at Enmarket Arena, will open up Horizon League play with a two-game road swing and travel to Central Michigan (12/7/22) during its time away from the friendly confines of the UPMC Events Center.
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