Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team concluded play in the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic Sunday in Savannah, Ga., falling to South Alabama, 84-70, at Enmarket Arena. The Colonials slipped to 2-5 (.286) overall during the 2022-23 season in suffering their fourth consecutive setback.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Kevin Samuel opened the scoring in the contest with a three-point play, and his dunk at 14:42 of the first half helped the Jaguars open up an early 16-9 advantage. Isaiah Moore gave USA its first double-digit lead, 23-13, with a jumper, and South Alabama eventually entered the break with a 40-33 edge thanks to converting 56.7 percent (17-for-30) of its shots from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Junior guard
Josh Corbin, who scored 20 points in the first half yesterday against Evansville, helped keep the Colonials in it with 11 points in the first half on a 4-for-7 performance from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
QUOTABLE
"We didn't start out the way we needed to," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "They were the aggressor and knocked us back on our heels in the early going. We were able to chip into their lead in the second half, but when we went to the bench we just weren't able to hold the line. We need everyone to contribute if we're going to be successful. Our starters are doing a good job of giving it their all when they're on the floor, but when they need a blow the guys that come off the bench have to be able to keep up the production."
CLOSING IN
RMU opened the second half with an 8-3 burst to close its deficit to 43-41 after a layup from freshman forward
Stephaun Walker. Fifth-year forward
Kahliel Spear scored the first four points of the half, while the Colonials also got a jumper from sophomore guard
Jackson Last. South Alabama called timeout after the bucket from Walker, and out of the break Moore fed Samuel for a dunk to help keep RMU at bay. Corbin helped keep the Colonials within striking distance, as his consecutive baskets trimmed the USA lead to 53-49 with 12:46 remaining, but Samuel again struck, getting a layup off an offensive rebound of his own missed shot. The bucket ignited a 10-2 surge that helped the Jaguars push their lead back to double digits, 63-51.
INSIDE OUT
The duo of Moore and Samuel combined for 51 points Sunday to help bolster the Jaguars, including a season-high 28 points from Moore, who entered the contest averaging 19.5 points per game and had eclipsed the 20-point plateau on three occasions. Samuel, meanwhile, who posted a double-double last season against the Colonials with 18 points and 12 rebounds at the UPMC Events Center as a member of Florida Gulf Coast, posted 23 points thanks to an 11-for-17 performance from the floor while grabbing another 12 caroms and blocking four shots.
THREE'S COMPANY
Corbin (19), senior guard
Michael Green III (17) and Spear (16) combined for 52 points for the Colonials against South Alabama, knocking down 51.1 percent (23-for-45) of their shots from the field, including 45.4 percent (5-for-11) from beyond the arc. The other six players in the rotation for RMU, however, combined for just 18 points, including just seven from the bench.
UP NEXT
Three games in three days in Savannah, Ga., complete, RMU returns to Dayton, Ohio, to continue its seven-game road swing, this time opening Horizon League action Thursday, Dec. 1, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Wright State at the Nutter Center.
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