Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team wrapped up a seven-game road trip Wednesday, ending the swing on a high note with a 71-66 victory over Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Mich., at McGuirk Arena. The Colonials improved to 4-6 (.400) overall during the 2022-23 season with the victory.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Chippewas fell behind by double digits early in the second half, 39-29, after a three-pointer from junior guard Josh Corbin before using a 12-0 surge to grab a 41-39 advantage with 13:17 remaining. Jesse Zarzuela was the main offensive force for CMU, scoring the final seven points of the run to help push the Chippewas in front. RMU didn't panic, however, with senior forward Matt Mayers providing a flush on a dime from senior guard Michael Green III that tied it, 41-41, which sent the Colonials on an 8-0 burst to take the lead for good, 47-41. Junior guard Enoch Cheeks hit a step back jumper to give RMU the lead again, 43-41, while Corbin added another triple.
 
QUOTABLE
"A fight is a good, descriptive term," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole. "Really it was a rock fight. They pressured us and took us out of our offensive flow, especially early. I thought one of the keys of the game was when Mike (Green III) got in. He really gave us an advantage in opening up shots for guys. Central Michigan is a tough, physical team. We preached to them in the first half to keep guarding and we'd figure out ways to score. We were able to do that in the second half, with Josh hitting some big shots and Enoch and Kahliel also with some big contributions. Proud of the way our guys were able to withstand some of the ups and downs and finish off our road trip with a win."
 
SLOW START, FAST FINISH
Eight and-a-half minutes into the contest, Ola Ajiboye was sent to the free-throw line and knocked down a pair for Central Michigan (4-5), tying the contest, 8-8. Neither team was able to open up breathing room until Green III buried a three-pointer just before the final media timeout of the half to give the Colonials a 27-21 lead. RMU eventually stretched its advantage to 32-25 at the break thanks to Corbin, who also connected from deep with just over 14 seconds left in the opening stanza. Fifth-year Kahliel Spear notched 10 rebounds in the first half as RMU entered the break owning a 23-17 edge on the glass.
 
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
Spear got his first basket of the second half at 17:36 with a patented dunk and scored 14 of his 18 points after the break. He converted seven of his 14 shots from the field and matched a career high in rebounds with 15, including four that came on the offensive glass. Stuffing the stat sheet, Spear also handed out a career-high seven assists in the win over the Chippewas and concluded the seven-game road trip having reached double figures in scoring in each contest. In addition, each of Spear's four double-doubles of the year came during the same stretch.
 
QUOTABLE
"Kahliel has always rebounded the ball well, but he's just been so consistent and engaged the last four, five games on the defensive end," Toole said. "He's moving his feet, blocking shots and getting great positioning under the basket to grab those rebounds. To get 15 rebounds to go along with seven assists, in addition to what he gives us offensively, that's monstrous."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
While Spear assists the interior, Corbin provides the long ball. A 6-for-11 performance from beyond the arc Wednesday helped him lead the Colonials in scoring with 20 points while also notching four rebounds, an assist, steal and block. Cheeks contributed 17 points, four boards and four dimes, while Green III recorded five assists to go along with four points and three rebounds. Corbin, meanwhile, has hit at least five three-pointers in a game four times in 10 games for RMU during the 2022-23 campaign, including six triples on three occasions.
 
QUOTABLE
"Defensively I really thought we locked in for a full 40 minutes, and that was great to see," Toole said. "We forced them into a lot of tough shots. Everyone that played contributed to that defensive effort, too. Matt Mayers gave us some great minutes. Chris (Ford) only played five minutes but they were huge. On one possession he had a deflection and the other a rebound. Central Michigan went right at him, and to his credit, Chris stood his ground. Those are the types of winning plays that are so important in a close game in terms of which side you end up on."
 
UP NEXT
RMU returns home to the UPMC Events Center to welcome Marshall for a 7:00 p.m. tip Saturday, Dec. 10, in its first home game in almost a month. The first 1,000 fans receive a free RMU bucket hat courtesy of UMPC Health Plan.