Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team opened its final homestand of the 2021-22 regular season Thursday, falling to IUPUI, 66-56, at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials slipped to 7-20 (.259) overall on the year, including 5-13 (.278) in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Jaguars were unsuccessful on each of their six attempts from beyond the arc in the first half but turned the tables after the break, knocking down seven of their eight attempts (87.5%), including four in the final 5:20 of action as part of a 16-5 run that gave IUPUI (3-22 / 1-13 #HLMBB) a 61-52 advantage with 1:11 to play. B.J. Maxwell hit the final two triples for the Jaguars as part of an 18-point effort, which tied for game-high honors with teammate Bakari LaStrap. IUPUI shot 57.1 percent (12-for-21) from the field in the second half and an even 50 percent (23-for-46) overall.
QUOTABLE
"I want to credit IUPUI," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "I thought they played incredibly well. They've been faced with such tough circumstances throughout the entire year, and they've never stopped playing and never stopped trying to get better. In the second half they executed extremely well and controlled the game. They deserved the win. We also got what we deserved, and it's something that's incredibly disappointing."
UP HILL
IUPUI owned the advantage for over 30 minutes, taking an early 4-0 lead after a driving layup from LaStrap and a jumper by Maxwell. The lead swelled to 12-7 for the Jaguars before the Colonials scored the next seven points of the contest to grab their first lead, 14-12. Sophomore guard
Chase Cook started the flurry with a floater in the lane, and sophomore guard
Kam Farris pushed RMU in front, 14-12, with a three-pointer. Boston Stanton III came back with a jumper in the paint to tie it, one of 10 ties in a contest that also featured 16 lead changes.
QUOTABLE
"A lot of it comes back to not respecting the game the way you're supposed to respect the game and give the effort that it deserves," Toole said. "When you disrespect things you usually get disrespected back. That's what we talked about all week is respecting the game and respecting your opponent. When you don't do that, you usually get yourself in a tough spot. When you're not ready to go and then all of the sudden emotion and anxiety and pressure and all those things start to build, you get exposed. You crack. We had so many cracks tonight."
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Junior forward
Matt Mayers led the Colonials with 12 points and nine rebounds, notching his third consecutive double-figure scoring game. He shot 3-for-6 from the field and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line while also adding two blocks. RMU finished with six rejections, including a career-high three from sophomore guard
Enoch Cheeks. Senior forward
Kahliel Spear added 11 points and six boards for the Colonials, who converted just 38.8 percent (19-for-49) of their attempts from the floor.
QUOTABLE
"Self-awareness is a critical piece," Toole said. "Can you be aware of the errors that were made? Coaches, players, everybody, and then make the corrections that are necessary? Playing the right way is playing the right way. That's never going to change. There really isn't a choice. It takes what it takes. There's no cheat code. What we believe works hasn't changed. When we hold teams under one point per possession we're pretty good. There's a formula you have to follow and adhere to, respect, embrace and execute every time you step on the floor to give yourself the best chance to win."
UP NEXT
RMU closes out its home slate Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against UIC at the UPMC Events Center.
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