GAME 19
RMU (8-10 / 3-4 #HLMBB) @ Detroit Mercy (6-12 / 2-5 #HLMBB)
Saturday, January 14, 2023 • 1:00 p.m.
Calihan Hall (8,295) • Detroit, Mich.

TV: ESPN+ w/ Jeremy Otto (pxp) & Earl "The Twirl" Cureton (color)
Radio: Athletics Gameday App w/ Chris Shovlin (pxp)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team continues a four-game road trip Saturday, visiting the Motor City for a 1:00 p.m. tip against Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall. It marks the second game of the four-game trek for the Colonials.
 
- Oakland jumped out to a 17-3 lead and held on as RMU erased its largest deficit of the year before succumbing to the Golden Grizzlies, 69-65, in the opener of its four-game road trip in Rochester, Mich., at the Athletics Center O'Rena. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear notched his second consecutive double-double, sixth of the year and 16th of his career with the Colonials thanks to 21 points and 10 rebounds.
 
- Junior guard Enoch Cheeks contributed 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals @ Oakland (1/12/23). Senior guard Michael Green III came off the bench and supplied nine points and a game-high seven assists while more importantly not suffering a turnover.
 
- RMU improved to 5-2 (.714) at home during the 2022-23 season with a 77-70 victory over IUPUI (1/9/23) at the UPMC Events Center. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led four Colonials in double figures with 22 points while also grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
- Junior guards Enoch Cheeks and Josh Corbin each scored 16 points for RMU in its win over the Jaguars, while senior guard Michael Green III registered his first double-double with the Colonials and second at the NCAA Division I level thanks to 12 points and a career-high 11 assists.
 
- Combined, the trio of Enoch Cheeks (16.1 ppg), Kahliel Spear (14.5) and Josh Corbin (11.0) are averaging 41.6 points in road games for the Colonials during the 2022-23 season. Spear also provides the Colonials with an average of 8.0 rebounds per contest in road tilts while converting 49.5 percent (50-for-101) of his shots from the floor.
 
- In their first game of 2023, the Colonials dropped a 78-56 decision to Youngstown State (1/5/23) at the Beeghly Center. Junior guard Enoch Cheeks paced RMU against the Penguins with 16 points and also tallied three rebounds. Freshman forward Stephaun Walker added 11 points and three rebounds.
 
- RMU concluded a three-game homestand and the 2022 calendar year at the UPMC Events Center with a 63-54 loss to Cleveland State (12/31/22). RMU had a three-game winning streak snapped with the setback.
 
- Junior guard Enoch Cheeks led the Colonials against the Vikings with a game-high 19 points and three rebounds. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks as RMU shot 42 percent (21-for-50) from the field, including 3-for-16 (18.8%) from deep.

DETROIT MERCY LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App

The All-Time Series (Detroit Mercy) – RMU and Detroit Mercy will tip for the sixth time Saturday, with the Titans having won each of the previous five meetings between the two programs. In last year's only meeting between the two programs, the Titans posted a 79-62 win over the Colonials at the UPMC Events Center (2/9/22). In that contest Antoine Davis scored 18 points in the first half and 26 overall for Detroit Mercy. RMU was led by forward Kahliel Spear, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
 
Oakland Notes – RMU has dropped four consecutive games to the Golden Grizzlies as Oakland has stretched its advantage in the all-time series to 8-1 (.889) ... The Colonials set a season high for three-point field goal attempts (31), while the 51 attempts from the field for Oakland marked a season low by an opponent ... The 30 points from Trey Townsend of the Golden Grizzlies is a season high, buoyed by a 9-for-10 performance at the free-throw line, while Blake Lampman set season standards by an opponent in three-point field goals (6) and three-point field goal attempts (12) ... RMU tied a season high in second chance points (14). 
 
A Fine Line – RMU slipped to 2-3 (.400) overall during the 2022-23 season in games decided by five points or less after dropping a 69-65 decision @ Oakland (1/12/23) to open a four-game road trip. Since joining #HLMBB prior to the 2020-21 season, a total of 46.5 percent (20-of-43) of RMU's games in the league have been decided by six points or less. The Colonials are 5-15 (.250) in those contests. Overall in 13 seasons under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials have posted a record of 71-55 (.563) in games decided by five points or less.
 
Mo Green – Senior guard Michael Green III is in the best stretch of his RMU career creating for his teammates in recent weeks. Over the last five games, Green III has recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.88, handing out 31 dimes against just eight turnovers. He enters Saturday's game @ Detroit Mercy ranked second in the Horizon League in assists (5.31 per game) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.43).
 
On My Way – While the exploits of Kahliel Spear are well documented at the rim on both ends of the court, Spear is also on his way to scoring 1,000 points in an RMU uniform. Spear, who is RMU's active leader for consecutive games played (68) and starts (55), has scored 906 points in 68 career contests for the Colonials since transferring from Bucknell, an average of 13.3 points per game. Spear needs to average 7.2 points over the final 13 games of the 2022-23 regular season to eclipse 1,000 career points at RMU. Meanwhile, Spear is also 21 rebounds shy of 500 career boards with the Colonials in his quest to become just the 14th student-athlete in program history to eclipse both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
Defense Wins Championships – The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Over the last 16 years, RMU owns a record of 215-65 (.768) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Despite a 69-65 loss @ Oakland (1/12/23) that opened a four-game road trip, the Colonials own a mark of 164-58 (.739) under 13th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick. Overall in the last 16 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 54.2 percent (279-of-515) of the time.

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