Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team continued a four-game road trip Thursday with the first of two games on the middle coast with a 77-69 loss to Milwaukee at UWM Panther Arena. In falling for the third consecutive game, the Colonials dipped to 8-12 (.400) overall during the 2022-23 season, including 3-6 (.333) in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Fifth-year forward
Kahliel Spear converted in the paint to give the Colonials a 66-64 lead with 3:50 remaining, forcing the Panthers to call timeout. Out of the break Justin Thomas suffered a turnover for Milwaukee, but the Colonials gave it right back with a turnover of their own. BJ Freeman, who led all scorers in the contest with 26 points, tied it, 66-66, with a jumper with 2:58 to go. It ignited a 9-0 surge that gave Milwaukee (13-6 / 7-2 #HLMBB) the lead for good, as Freeman would hit a trio at the free-throw line with 2:11 left after a foul that pushed the Panthers in front.
QUOTABLE
"We keep talking about the same stuff," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "We just seem to inhibit our ability to win the game, and it's more mental than anything. Until we make the mental adjustment to be overly engaged, we're going to continue to get this frustration. The effort we put out there for the majority of the game is where it needs to be. We always fight back, and that's something I like, but at some point in time you have to get over the top. We had a lot of really good looks late in the game that we need to step up and make."
A GAME OF RUNS
The Colonials owned an early 8-4 lead after a three-pointer from junior guard
Enoch Cheeks, but a 14-0 run saddled RMU with a double-digit deficit, 18-8, at the 12:54 mark of the first half thanks to a triple from Kentrell Pullian, who scored 13 points for the Panthers. The two teams seemed to trade three-pointers in the first half, with the Colonials hitting eight, including one from sophomore guard
Jackson Last that would trim RMU's deficit to 40-38 with under a minute left before the break. Milwaukee eventually held a four-point edge at halftime, 42-38, and after the Colonials tied it early in the second stanza, 42-42, after a dunk from Spear, a quick 8-0 surge kept the Panthers in front.
ROAD AMERICA
Spear recorded his seventh double-double of the 2022-23 season and 16th of his career with the Colonials, compiling 20 points and 13 rebounds. He is now just a board shy of 500 for his career at RMU. In five seasons at the NCAA Division I level, including two at Bucknell before transferring, Spear owns 611 caroms, eclipsing the 600-rebound plateau against the Panthers. Spear would be the first member of the RMU 500-Rebound Club since former forward Aaron Tate (2013-17) turned the trick for the Colonials during the 2016-17 campaign as well as 19th overall. Spear also owns 941 career points at RMU after his performance against the Panthers.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior guard
Enoch Cheeks had his streak of games reaching double figures in scoring snapped at 19, as he battled foul trouble against the Panthers, picking up his third foul with 11:41 to play and his fourth with just under eight minutes remaining. He scored seven points but shot just 3-for-11 from the floor, including 1-for-5 from beyond the arc, while also notching five rebounds, four assists, a pair of steals and a block. Last produced his best game in an RMU uniform, establishing career highs in points (14) and rebounds (8), while guards
Josh Corbin and
Michael Green III each finished with 11 points.
QUOTABLE
"We need Enoch out there on the floor," Toole said. "He needs to help us make plays. He's our leading scorer. He handles the ball a lot in the flow of our offense. When he's on the bench that just puts more pressure on the rest of the lineup. I know he's trying to make plays, but he needs to be cognizant of every situation in the game. The foul at midcourt was one that I know he wishes he had back."
UP NEXT
RMU concludes its four-game road trip Saturday, Jan. 21, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Green Bay at the Resch Center.
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