GAME 20
RMU (8-11 / 3-5 #HLMBB) @ Milwaukee (12-6 / 6-2 #HLMBB)
Thursday, January 19, 2023 • 8:00 p.m.
UWM Panther Arena (10,783) • Milwaukee, Wisc.

TV: ESPN+ w/ Wayne Larrivee (pxp)
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 Thursday with an 8:00 p.m. tip against Milwaukee at UWM Panther Arena. It marks the first of two games in Wisconsin to close out the road swing for the Colonials.
 
- RMU is in search of its first road win of 2023 after dropping an 87-75 decision @ Detroit Mercy (1/14/23). Junior guard Enoch Cheeks paced the Colonials with 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear contributed 15 points, seven boards and a pair of blocks.
 
- Also reaching double figures against the Titans was freshman forward Stephaun Walker and junior guard Josh Corbin. Walker finished with 10 points on the strength of a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the free-throw line, while Corbin contributed 11 points.
 
- Oakland jumped out to a 17-3 lead at the Athletics Center O'Rena (1/12/23) 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. 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 against no turnovers.
 
- 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 (16.8 ppg), Kahliel Spear (14.6) and Josh Corbin (11.0) are averaging 42.4 points in road games for RMU during the 2022-23 season. Spear also provides the Colonials with an average of 7.9 rebounds per contest in road tilts while converting 49.6 percent (57-for-115) of his shots from the floor.
 
- RMU heads to Green Bay Saturday, Jan. 21, for a 7:00 p.m. tip to conclude its four-game road trip before returning to the UPMC Events Center for seven of its next nine at home. The Colonials will open a four-game homestand Friday, Jan. 27, against Detroit Mercy.
 
MILWAUKEE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App

The All-Time Series (Milwaukee) – Milwaukee and RMU square off for the sixth time Thursday, with the Panthers owning a 3-2 (.600) advantage in the all-time series. The two teams split the 2021-22 season series, with the Colonials earning a 77-53 victory in the last meeting at the UPMC Events Center (1/27/22). In that contest RMU grabbed a 39-23 edge at halftime thanks to runs of 13-2 and 9-2 en route to the win. Forward Kahliel Spear finished with 25 points in the victory to pace the Colonials while also grabbing nine rebounds and posting a block. Also finishing in double figures was guard Michael Green III, who scored 13 points and handed out two assists.
 
Detroit Mercy Notes – The Titans have won each of the six meetings between the two programs ... In five games against the Colonials, Antoine Davis has averaged 33.6 points per contest and owns a pair of 40-point performances ... The 11 three-pointers by Davis are the most by an opponent in 13 years under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole ... Thanks to 11 three-pointers from Davis, Detroit Mercy finished with 17 as a team, the highest total by an opponent under Toole ... UDM finished with a higher shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.586) than from the field (.527).
 
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 six games, Green III has recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.25, handing out 34 dimes against just eight turnovers. He enters Thursday's game @ Milwaukee leading the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover at 2.51 while sitting second in assists (5.18 per game).
 
Consistency Is Key – Each student-athlete has its own line of development, and usually the final piece to fall into place is consistency. For junior guard Enoch Cheeks, he has blossomed into a key contributor and budding star due in large part to his ability to be consistent. Despite missing a pair of games this year, Cheeks has reached double figures in scoring in each of his 17 games this season as well as 19 consecutive contests dating back to last year. During that span Cheeks has stuffed the stat sheet, producing averages of 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest while shooting 49.1 percent (121-for-246) from the field. 
 
Imagine That – Fifth-year 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 69 career contests at RMU, Spear owns 82 dunks, an average of 1.19 per contest, and 81 blocks, an average of 1.17 per game. Spear matched a career high with four rejections in a 68-59 win @ Mount St. Mary's (12/18/22) and has compiled 111 career blocks in five seasons at the NCAA Division I level. Spear has cracked the top five for career blocks at RMU with 81, as he ranks fifth.
 
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 (69) and starts (56), has scored 921 points in 69 career contests for the Colonials since transferring from Bucknell, an average of 13.3 points per game. Spear needs to average 6.6 points over the final 12 games of the 2022-23 regular season to eclipse 1,000 career points at RMU. Meanwhile, Spear is also 14 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.

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