GAME 9
RMU (3-5 / 1-0 #HLMBB) @ Northern Kentucky (4-4 / 1-0 #HLMBB)
Saturday, December 3, 2022 • 5:00 p.m.
Truist Arena (9,400) • Highland Heights, Ky.

TV: ESPN+
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team continues a seven-game road trip by concluding the first weekend of Horizon League action Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. tip against Northern Kentucky at Truist Arena.
 
- The Colonials snapped a four-game slide in their 2022-23 Horizon League opener, surging to an 80-59 victory @ Wright State (12/1/22). Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear tied a career high with 27 points to pace RMU while also notching five rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
 
- Spear was one of four Colonials to score in double figures in the triumph over the Raiders. Junior guard Josh Corbin added 15 points and paced RMU in rebounds with a career-high eight, junior guard Enoch Cheeks finished with 12 and a game-high six assists and senior guard Michael Green III contributed 11 points and four assists off the bench.
 
- RMU shot 52.5 percent (32-for-61) from the field in its victory @ Wright State (12/1/22), including a 9-for-17 (52.9%) performance from beyond the arc. Combined, junior guard Josh Corbin and fifth-year Kahliel Spear finished 7-for-10 from the three-point line.
 
- RMU concluded the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic in Savannah, Ga., at Enmarket Arena with an 84-70 setback to South Alabama (11/27/22). Junior guard Josh Corbin paced the Colonials against the Jaguars with 19 points, while fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear recorded his second consecutive double-double thanks to 16 points and 10 caroms.
 
- In a 54-53 setback against Evansville (11/26/22), junior guard Josh Corbin led RMU with a career-high 22 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field, including a 6-for-10 performance from beyond the arc. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear notched a double-double against the Purple Aces, posting 16 points and a season-high 12 caroms. He also tallied two assists and a pair of blocks. 
 
- In the opening game of the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic, the Colonials fell to Mercer (11/25/22), 72-66. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led RMU with 24 points and also recorded nine rebounds and a pair of rejections, while off the bench senior guard Michael Green III finished with a season-high 19 points, three assists and five steals.
 
- In three games of the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic, fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led RMU by averaging a double-double. He produced averages of 18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest while knocking down an even 50 percent (21-for-42) of his shots from the field. He enters Saturday's game @ Northern Kentucky having scored in double figures in five consecutive games.
 
NORTHERN KENTUCKY LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App

The All-Time Series (Northern Kentucky) – Saturday's game between the Colonials and Norse is the fifth in the all-time, with Northern Kentucky owning a 3-1 (.750) advantage. Last season the two teams split the season series, with RMU earning a 74-64 win over NKU (1/15/22) at the UPMC Events Center. In that contest forward Kahliel Spear posted a double-double thanks to 21 points and 11 rebounds while also registering four assists and a pair of blocks. The Norse earned a split in the season series with the Colonials by notching a 78-64 win at BB&T Arena (2/24/22).
 
Wright State Notes – The Colonials picked up their first victory in seven games all-time against the Raiders ... The contest featured four ties and seven lead changes, with RMU taking control with a 14-5 run to close the first half and grab a 44-36 at halftime ... The Colonials dominated in points in the paint, 38-14, and also turned 12 turnovers by Wright State into 17 points ... RMU notched a season-high 11 steals, with fifth-year Kahliel Spear and junior guard Josh Corbin each recording three thefts ... Thanks to a steal against the Raiders senior guard Michael Green III owns at least one pilfer in each of his six games during the 2022-23 season.
 
On My Way – Kahliel Spear has found a zone for the Colonials in recent weeks, as after matching a career high with 27 points in an 80-54 win @ Wright State (12/1/22) the fifth-year forward has now reached double figures in five consecutive games. During that span Spear is producing averages of 18.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 54.3 percent (38-for-70) from the field. Spear has scored 935 career points at the NCAA Division I level after transferring from Bucknell, including 763 in three seasons with the Colonials. Barring injury, Spear will eclipse 1,000 career points in the coming weeks and needs to average 10.3 points over RMU's final 23 tilts to accomplish the feat as a member of the Colonials. 
 
Blast Off – Junior guard Josh Corbin has settled in nicely for the Colonials as a deep threat. The transfer from Winthrop who in 20 games last year hit 25 three-pointers has already knocked down 29 in his first eight games in an RMU uniform. Corbin, who opened the year 0-for-6 from deep @ Ohio State (11/7/22), is shooting 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from international waters in the seven games since and enters Saturday's game @ Northern Kentucky leading the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage (.483) while ranking second in three-point field goals made per game (3.63).
 
Creating & Creating – Senior guard Michael Green III, who missed the first two games of the 2022-23 season, has done a solid job for RMU since his return to the rotation in creating opportunities for his teammates. Green III enters Saturday's game @ Northern Kentucky having handed out 11 assists against just two turnovers in RMU's last two games, a key reason he ranks third in the Horizon League overall in the early going of the season in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.58. Green III also ranks fourth in the circuit in assists, with 31 in six games giving him an average of 5.17 dimes per contest.
 
Did You Know? In 13 seasons under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials have recorded a mark of 50-9 (.847) when scoring 80 or more points in a game while posting a record of 80-9 (.899) when holding opponents to less than 60 points. The Colonials did both in an 80-59 win @ Wright State (12/1/22). 

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

Tweet #BobbyMo