GAME 25
Oakland (16-8 / 9-4 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (6-18 / 4-11 #HLMBB)
Friday, Feb. 11, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team plays the second of three games in five days Friday by welcoming Oakland to the UPMC Events Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
- The Colonials opened the stretch with a 79-62 setback to Detroit Mercy (2/9/22) at the UPMC Events Center. Antoine Davis, the NCAA Division I leading scorer, scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half as the Titans knocked down 13 three-pointers against RMU.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear led the Colonials against UDM with 15 points and seven rebounds. He shot 7-for-11 from the floor, dished out an assist and posted two steals. Sophomore guard Kam Farris scored 11 points off the bench, while junior guard Michael Green III finished with 10 points and six assists.
 
- RMU picked up its first Horizon League road victory thanks to a 66-49 triumph @ IUPUI (2/5/22). Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials by recording his second consecutive double-double and sixth of the year with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
 
- Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks in the win over the Jaguars as RMU held IUPUI to a shooting percentage of 30.5 percent (18-for-59) and its lowest point total by a Horizon League foe in two years as a member of the league.
 
- The Colonials opened a two-game road swing in Chicago, Ill., with an 80-75 setback to UIC at Credit Union 1 Arena. A total of seven of RMU's 11 games during the 2022 calendar year have been decided by seven points or less, with the Colonials owning a record of 1-6 (.167) in those contests.
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials against the Flames by recording his fifth double-double of the year and sixth of his career with 23 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. He also added four assists, three steals and a block.
 
- Off the bench @ UIC, junior forward Justin Winston scored a season-high 19 points, while junior guard Michael Green III (16) and sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks (12) also reached double figures. Cheeks also compiled six rebounds, three assists and a pair of rejections.
 
- RMU concluded the month of January with its third consecutive home victory thanks to a 62-60 triumph over Green Bay (1/29/22) at the UPMC Events Center. Junior guard Michael Green III paced the Colonials in the win with a season-high 21 points while also adding four assists and a pair of steals.
 
- Sophomore guard Enoch Cheeks posted his third double-double of the season against the Phoenix with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Brandon Stone supplied 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks off the bench.

OAKLAND LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Oakland) – RMU and Oakland meet for the eighth time on the hardwood and the fourth time as conference opponents Friday. The Golden Grizzlies own a 6-1 (.857) advantage in the all-time series. In the opening game of the 2021-22 season series in Rochester, Mich., the Golden Grizzlies earned a 79-61 triumph over the Colonials at the Athletics Center O'Rena. In that game sophomore guard Kam Farris paced RMU with 14 points and also handed out four assists as the Colonials registered 19 dimes on their 25 field goals in the contest.
 
Detroit Mercy Notes – RMU fell to 0-5 all-time against the Titans, with the last meeting the first for the Colonials on their home court ... In four games against RMU over the last two seasons, Antoine Davis has averaged 31.8 points while hitting 23 three-pointers ... Detroit Mercy finished 13-for-31 (41.9%) from beyond the arc, the ninth time an opponent has hit at least 10 triples in a game against the Colonials during the 2021-22 season ... The Titans held a 35-22 advantage on the glass, with the 22 caroms a season low for RMU ... The trio of Kahliel Spear (7), Enoch Cheeks (5) and Brandon Stone (4) combined for 16 rebounds, with the other five Colonials to see action finishing with just six boards.
 
February Fire – A consistent presence for RMU in 2022, senior forward Khaliel Spear has taken his game to the next level thus far in February. Through the first three games of the month, Spear is averaging a double-double at 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Spear eclipsed 500 career points in an RMU uniform thanks to 15 points against Detroit Mercy (2/9/22) and has scored 511 points in 42 career games (12.2 ppg) in two seasons with the Colonials. A career 53.9 percent (206-for-382) shooter during his time at RMU, Spear ranks fifth all-time in program history in field goal percentage. An economics major who has maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.92, Spear is also RMU's active leader for both consecutive games played (42) and starts (29).
 
Block Party – RMU has recorded at least five blocks in eight of its last 17 games after recording six rejections in a 66-49 victory @ IUPUI (2/5/22) that concluded a two-game road swing. It's a key reason the Colonials rank second in the Horizon League in total blocks on the 2021-22 season with 88, trailing only Milwaukee, which has rejected 90 shots. RMU also ranks second in the circuit in blocks per game with an average of 3.67 per contest, trailing only Cleveland State (3.86 per game). The 88 rejections rank seventh in a season in program history, and the Colonials are on pace to conclude the 2021-22 regular season with 110 blocks. That total would rank third in the RMU record book. The school record of 127 was set in 2015-16, while the Colonials posted 121 rejections in 2008-09.
 
Did You Know? Thanks to a 66-49 win @ IUPUI (2/5/22) that concluded a two-game road trip, RMU improved to 3-0 this season when holding opponents to under 60 points. The Colonials have won nine consecutive games dating back to the 2019-20 season when turning the trick. Overall under 12th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 77-8 (.906) when holding opponents to less than 60 points.
 
Dunk You Very Much – Senior forward Kahliel Spear is as active as any member of the Colonials in recent years at the rim, and you just have to look at the numbers. In addition to being tied for fourth in the Horizon League with an average of 1.17 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 24 games in 2021-22, Spear has provided 39 jams, and in 42 career contests at RMU he owns 52 dunks (1.24 per game). Spear owns 65 percent (39-of-60) of the dunks the Colonials have provided during the 2021-22 campaign.

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