Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team concluded its opening weekend of Horizon League play Saturday, falling to Northern Kentucky, 60-56, in Highland Heights, Ky., at Truist Arena. The Colonials dipped to 3-6 (.333) overall during the 2022-23 campaign, including 1-1 (.500) in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Xavier Rhodes missed a three-pointer with 23 seconds to go and the Norse leading by a pair, 58-56, with junior guard
Enoch Cheeks coming down with a key rebound for the Colonials. RMU got the ball into the front court and called timeout, but out of the break Cheeks was bumped twice before turning it over, with Sam Vinson coming up with the steal for NKU. Marques Warrick followed for Northern Kentucky, sealing the win with a pair at the free-throw line to settle the final score.
QUOTABLE
"We had chances," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "They attacked us physically in the second half, especially on the glass. The number of offensive rebounds they turned into points is really what hurt us most. I'm proud of the way that our guys fought. We certainly gave the effort on the defensive side. We just need to be able to finish some offensive possessions. We'll get stronger and get better because of this. We have to keep grinding and keep working and get a little bit better every time out. We went on the road and played probably the two premier teams in this league over the last five, six, seven years and had a chance to win both games. We'll keep battling and we'll keep working."
EXCHANGE RATE
RMU shot an even 50 percent (12-for-24) from the field in the first half and grabbed its biggest advantage, 28-21, after a pair of free throws from junior forward
Matt Mayers at the 2:25 mark. Cheeks converted a driving layup as time expired to keep the advantage at seven as the teams went to the locker room, 30-23. Mayers came off the bench and supplied eight points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of action and stepped up in the paint for the Colonials, especially since freshman
Stephaun Walker, who missed RMU's win at Wright State Thursday due to injury, played just under three minutes Saturday against the Norse.
SECOND OPPORTUNITIES
Northern Kentucky (5-4 / 2-0 #HLMBB) used an 8-0 spurt to open the second half to jump in front, 31-30, after a three-point play from Warrick. Despite sealing the victory thanks to two at the charity stripe, the Colonials kept the leading scorer for the Norse in check. Warrick finished just 3-for-12 from the field, including 0-for-3 from beyond the three-point line. Cheeks would push the Colonials back on top, 33-31, with a three-pointer, with 16:55 to go as the contest featured five ties and 11 lead changes. An 8-0 spurt late that featured five points for Rhodes proved to be the difference, turning a 49-45 deficit into a 53-49 lead with 5:32 remaining.
QUOTABLE
"(NKU) really grinded the game out," Toole said. "We just didn't get on solid footing offensively, especially in the second half, because we struggled to find quality shots and had a couple of tough turnovers late. (NKU) is an experienced group that has played in a championship game. The effort, though, from our guys over the 80 minutes this week deserves a ton of credit, but we just have to get better. These guys want to win and care a lot. They're doing everything in their power to help us be successful. Hopefully we get stronger by getting a little healthier, but we just have to continue to execute time and time again to be successful."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Spear and Cheeks each finished with 13 points for RMU to garner team-high honors, with Spear adding six boards, a career-high five steals and a pair of blocks. Cheeks chipped in three rebounds, a pair of steals and a rejection, while Corbin scored 11 points. The Colonials finished at 48.8 percent (21-for-43) from the field overall but were outrebounded, 36-25, including 13-4 in offensive caroms. The Norse, who were led by Trevon Faulkner's 14 points, posted a 15-4 edge in second-chance points.
UP NEXT
Six games of their longest road trip of the season in the rear view mirror, the Colonials will wrap up the swing with a visit to the Wolverine State. RMU heads to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to take on Central Michigan Wednesday, Dec. 7, in a 7:00 p.m. tip.
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