GAME 14
Purdue Fort Wayne (9-4 / 1-1 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (6-7 / 1-1 #HLMBB)
Thursday, December 29, 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 looks for its third consecutive win in continuing a three-game homestand Thursday at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials return to Horizon League play by hosting Purdue Fort Wayne in a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
- In the opener of its three-game homestand, RMU concluded non-conference play with a 77-66 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis U (12/21/22). Junior guard Enoch Cheeks led five Colonials in double figures with a career-high 23 points and also added five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
 
- Junior guard Josh Corbin added 15 points, two assists and three steals in the win over the Red Flash, while fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear contributed 14 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Jackson Last chipped in a career-high 11 points, while off the bench junior forward Matt Mayers posted 10 points and a season-high nine rebounds.
 
- Thursday's contest against the Mastodons and Colonials features two of the top three defenses in the Horizon League. Purdue Fort Wayne paces the circuit in allowing 63.4 points per game, while RMU sits third by yielding 65.0 points per contest. Ranking second is Cleveland State (64.3 ppg), which will visit the UPMC Events Center Saturday in the final game of the 2022 calendar year.
 
- During the month of December, the Colonials are allowing 63.2 points per game, with opponents converting just 40.7 percent (140-for-344) of their attempts from the field, including 31.8 percent (34-for-107) from beyond the arc. Purdue Fort Wayne has launched 397 three-pointers in 13 games, an average of 30.5 per contest, and have converted at a 34 percent (135-for-397) clip. RMU, meanwhile, leads the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage (.383).
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear is one point shy of 1,000 for his career at the NCAA Division I level. He sits at 999 career points, including 827 in an RMU uniform, after contributing 14 points in a 77-66 win over Saint Francis U (12/21/22) and so far this season has produced averages of 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in four tilts at the UPMC Events Center.
 
- Owning a 4-2 (.667) mark during the month of December, the Colonials earned a 68-59 victory @ Mount St. Mary's (12/18/22) in their last road game. RMU held the Mount to four points over the final five minutes in grabbing the win as junior guard Josh Corbin paced the offense with 20 points on the strength of a 6-for-10 performance from beyond the arc.
 
- Junior guard Enoch Cheeks registered his first double-double of the 2022-23 season and fourth of his career with 19 points while tying a career high with 10 rebounds in the win at the Mount. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear added 11 points and four caroms while matching a personal best with four blocked shots.

PURDUE FORT WAYNE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Purdue Fort Wayne) – Purdue Fort Wayne and RMU meet for the fifth time Thursday, with the Mastodons owning a 3-1 (.750) advantage in the all-time series. In the last meeting between the two programs, Purdue Fort Wayne used a 33-8 run to grab a commanding 43-20 lead at halftime en route to an 86-62 win at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (1/21/22). Forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials with 16 points while also grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. In its debut as a member of the Horizon League, RMU earned a 102-88 triumph @ Purdue Fort Wayne (12/26/20). All five starters scored in double figures in the win, including 17 each from former guards Kam Farris (2020-22) and Jon Williams (2017-21).
 
Saint Francis U Notes – RMU has won four consecutive games over the Red Flash in extending its lead in the all-time series to 53-38 (.582) ... Josh Cohen posted game highs in points (28) and rebounds (14), matching individual highs by an opponent during the 2022-23 season ... Isaiah Moore of South Alabama also scored 28 points against the Colonials, while Toumani Camara of Dayton grabbed 14 boards ... The contest featured six ties and nine lead changes ... The five Colonials in double figures scoring against the Red Flash marked a season high ... RMU picked up its first win of the year when being outrebounded, with SFU owning a 36-33 edge on the glass.
 
Three's Company – Josh Corbin could very well be on his way to completing the triumvirate of the greatest three-point shooters in program history. The junior guard has hit at least six triples in a game four times so far during the 2022-23 campaign and sits fifth in NCAA Division I in three-point field goals made (48) while leading the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage (.466). In the RMU single-season annals, Corbin ranks second for most three-pointers through RMU's first 13 games, trailing only former guard Josh Williams (2018-20), who hit 53 in the first 13 tilts of the 2018-19 campaign. At his current pace, Corbin is set to conclude the 2022-23 regular season with 114 three-pointers.
 
Three's Company Part Deux – Through six games on the calendar during the month of December, the trio of Enoch Cheeks, Kahliel Spear and Josh Corbin have combined to average 45.5 points per game while knocking down 46.4 percent (102-for-220) of their shots from the field, including 44.9 percent (35-for-78) from beyond the arc. The trio provides an inside presence (Spear), an outside threat (Corbin) and one that does both (Cheeks). In addition to their offensive prowess, the trio has also combined for 31 steals (5.2 pg) and 19 blocks (3.2 pg) in six December tilts.
 
Consistency Is Key – Each student-athlete has its own line of development, and usually the final piece to fall into place is consistency. For junior guard Enoch Cheeks, he has blossomed into a key contributor and budding star due in large part to his ability to be consistent. Despite missing a pair of games this year, Cheeks has reached double figures in scoring in each of his 11 games this season as well as 13 consecutive contests dating back to last year. During that span Cheeks has stuffed the stat sheet, producing averages of 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.7 steals per contest while shooting 47.8 percent (79-for-165) from the field. In a 68-59 win @ Mount St. Mary's (12/18/22), Cheeks notched his first double-double of the 2022-23 campaign and fourth of his career thanks to 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
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 215-63 (.773) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to a 77-66 victory over Saint Francis U (12/21/22), the Colonials improved to 164-56 (.745) 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 54.3 percent (277-of-510) of the time.

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