GAME 32
2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament - Quarterfinals
#10 RMU (8-23) @ #1 Cleveland State (19-9)
Thursday, March 3, 2022 • 8:00 p.m.
Wolstein Center (13,610) • Cleveland, Ohio
 
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Al Pawlowski (pxp) & Pay Vuyancih (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 continues the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament Thursday with an 8:00 p.m. tip against Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, as part of the quarterfinals.
 
- The Colonials advanced to face the Vikings by earning their first Horizon League Tournament victory in program history in the first round, posting a 77-73 victory @ Youngstown State (3/1/22). Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced RMU with his eighth double-double of the year thanks to 19 points and 13 rebounds.
 
- Sophomore guards Enoch Cheeks and Kam Farris each scored 12 points in the win over the Penguins, with Cheeks supplying six rebounds and a game-high five assists. Junior forward Matt Mayers and junior guard Michael Green III also reached double figures in the victory, as each scored 10 points.
 
- RMU shot 53.8 percent (28-for-52) from the field in the win @ Youngstown State (3/1/22) and owned a 40-32 advantage in points in the paint. The victory marked No. 200 for 12th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole during his tenure with the Colonials and also improved RMU to 17-9 (.654) in conference tournament action under Toole.
 
- In a vote of Horizon League head coaches, senior forward Kahliel Spear was named to the 2022 #HLMBB Third Team. Spear enters the quarterfinals of the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament as RMU's leading scorer (14.6 ppg) and rebounder (7.8 rpg) and also leads the circuit in field goal percentage (.548).
 
- Senior forward Kahliel Spear also earned spots on the 2021-22 Academic All-District® Team (Feb. 17) by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as well as the 2022 Horizon League All-Academic Team (Feb. 24). Spear is an economics major who has maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.92.
 
- Spear enters Thursday's game @ Cleveland State having scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games. During that span, Spear has averaged 17.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while converting 58.6 percent (68-for-116) of his shots from the field. Included in that stretch was a career-high 27 points to pace RMU in a 73-68 win @ Youngstown State (2/13/22).
 
- RMU concluded its 2021-22 regular season by dropping a 71-61 decision @ Wright State (2/26/22). Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials with 14 points and seven rebounds.
 
- Eight of RMU's 14 games at the UPMC Events Center during the 2021-22 season were decided by eight points or less, including two that went to overtime. The Colonials finished 1-7 (.125) in those contests. RMU is 3-2 (.600) on the road this season in games decided by eight points or less.

CLEVELAND STATE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament Home Page
 
The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – RMU and Cleveland State tip for the 18th time Thursday, with the Vikings owning a 10-7 (.588) advantage in the all-time series. CSU has won six of the last seven meetings between the two programs. Cleveland State posted a 75-68 win over the Colonials in the last meeting at the Wolstein Center (1/23/22). The Vikings used a 15-4 run in the second half to turn a 58-55 deficit into a 70-62 advantage. Junior forward Brandon Stone led RMU with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. In the first meeting between the two teams as Horizon League foes, the Vikings earned a 78-77 victory over the Colonials at the UPMC Events Center (1/7/22). Senior forward Kahliel Spear paced RMU with 24 points. The last victory for RMU over Cleveland State came at the Charles L. Sewall Center (11/20/12), a 71-62 victory that was part of the 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off. The Colonials were led by forward Mike McFadden and guard Velton Jones with 15 points each.
 
Youngstown State Notes – RMU improved to 7-5 (.583) at the Beeghly Center in grabbing a 13-12 (.520) edge in the all-time series ... The three games of the 2021-22 season between the Colonials and Penguins were decided by a total of 13 points ... A total of 17 of the last 21 meetings between the two programs have been decided by eight points or less ... The five meetings between RMU and YSU as Horizon League foes has been decided by a total of 23 points, including two that have gone to overtime ... The Penguins scored 25 points in the final 3:47 of action after the Colonials held YSU to 48 points in the first 36:13.
 
Surf Board – Thanks to 13 rebounds as part of a double-double in a 77-73 win @ Youngstown State in the first round of the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament, senior forward Kahliel Spear pushed his season total in caroms to 241. That total ranks sixth in the RMU single-season record book, and he is five boards shy of moving into a tie for fifth place, as all-time leading rebounder Lucky Jones (2011-15) grabbed a career-high 246 caroms as a junior during the 2013-14 campaign. Spear ranks 10th in #HLMBB in scoring (14.6 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (7.8 rpg).
 
Paint Ball – RMU has done a solid job attacking the rim in recent weeks, and the frontcourt has taken advantage of its opportunities. Entering the quarterfinals of the 2022 Keeps #HLMBB Tournament, the four forwards that make up the rotation for the Colonials, including senior Kahliel Spear and juniors Matt Mayers, Jaron Williams and Brandon Stone, have combined to average 42.4 points per contest while shooting 59.7 percent (120-for-201) from the floor over the last seven games. During that span, RMU is averaging 35.7 points in the paint per contest, including a season-high 54 against UIC (2/19/22) in the final home game of the 2021-22 season for the Colonials at the UPMC Events Center.
 
New Kids On The Block – RMU enters the quarterfinals of the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament having rejected 116 shots on the year, including a team-high 33 from senior forward Kahliel Spear. It marks the fifth time in program history the Colonials have eclipsed 100 blocks in a season, including the third time under 12th-year Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole. The school record of 127 came during the 2015-16 season, while RMU blocked 121 shots during the 2008-09 campaign. RMU's 116 rejections is currently third in the single-season record book.
 
Defense Wins Championships – The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Over the last 15 years, RMU owns a record of 209-59 (.780) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Despite a 66-56 loss to IUPUI (2/17/22), the Colonials have posted a ledger of 158-52 (.752) under 12th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick. Overall in the last 15 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 54 percent (268-of-496) of the time.
 
Opposite Ends Of The Spectrum – RMU earned its first win of the 2021-22 season when allowing 70 or more points in the first round of the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament thanks to a 77-73 win @ Youngstown State (3/1/22). The Colonials entered the game 0-20 when turning the trick and also snapped a 24-game slide when allowing 70 or more points in a game. On the other end, RMU owns a mark of 7-3 (.700) this year when holding opponents under 70 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 fifth in the Horizon League with an average of 1.06 blocks per game, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 31 games in 2021-22, Spear has provided 51 jams, and in 49 career contests at RMU he owns 64 dunks (1.31 per game). Spear owns 62.2 percent (51-of-82) of the dunks the Colonials have provided during the 2021-22 campaign.
 
Keep On Rockin In The Free World ... RMU continues play in the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament Thursday with a tilt at No. 1 seed Cleveland State in the quarterfinals. The Wolstein Center is one of 16 arenas that the Colonials have played in that has also featured a concert by Pearl Jam since the band's formation in 1990. Also included is the Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, Nev.), the Times Union Center (Albany, N.Y.), John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, Va.), PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the Pan American Center (Las Cruces, N.M.), Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte, N.C.), Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.), the L.A. Sports Arena (Los Angeles, Calif.), the Verizon Center (Washington, D.C.), the FedExForum (Memphis, Tenn.), the Palace at Auburn Hills (Detroit, Mich.), the Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Savage Arena (Toledo, Ohio), the Bryce Jordan Center (State College, Pa.) and A.J. Palumbo Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

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