GAME 23
Oakland (9-13 / 7-4 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (10-12 / 5-6 #HLMBB)
Sunday, January 29, 2023 • 1:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.

TV: ESPN+ • Radio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team continues a four-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. tip against Oakland. The Colonials are in search of their third consecutive win overall and at home.
 
- RMU opened its four-game homestand with an 85-77 victory over Detroit Mercy (1/27/23). Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led five Colonials in double figures with 25 points and also added four rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocks. He is 15 points shy of scoring 1,000 career points in an RMU uniform.
 
- Junior guard Josh Corbin added 20 points in the win over the Titans on the strength of a 6-for-12 performance from beyond the arc, while senior guard Michael Green III contributed 13 points off the bench. Also reaching double figures in scoring against Detroit Mercy was sophomore guard Jackson Last (12) and junior guard Enoch Cheeks (11).
 
- RMU handed out a season-high 24 assists in its win over Detroit Mercy (1/27/23), with junior guard Enoch Cheeks posting eight for the second consecutive game, matching a career high. Sophomore guard Jackson Last added four dimes and also paced the Colonials in rebounds (5) and steals (4).
 
- In seven games during the month of January, senior guard Michael Green III is averaging 9.3 points and 4.1 assists per game while owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.63. He is shooting 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the field and is a perfect 14-for-14 at the free-throw line during that stretch. Green owns a streak of 15 consecutive conversions at the chalk entering Sunday's game against Oakland.
 
- In wrapping up a four-game road swing, RMU snapped a three-game slide with a 72-38 victory @ Green Bay (1/21/23). The 38 points are the fewest the Colonials have allowed in a road game in program history and the third time under Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole RMU has held an opponent under 40 points.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials in their win over the Phoenix with 19 points while also grabbing six rebounds. He became the 19th member of the RMU 500-Rebound Club with his first rebound of the game. In 72 career games with the Colonials, Spear owns totals of 985 points and 509 boards.
 
- Junior guard Enoch Cheeks contributed 13 points, four rebounds, a career-high eight assists, four steals and a block in the win @ Green Bay (1/21/23) as RMU converted an even 50 percent (25-for-50) of its shots from the field and 89.5 percent (17-for-19) at the free-throw line in the victory.
 
- RMU continues a four-game homestand after taking on the Golden Grizzlies Sunday by welcoming Northern Kentucky and Wright State to the UPMC Events Center. The opening game of the set comes Thursday, Feb. 2, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against the Norse.

OAKLAND LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Oakland) – RMU and Oakland meet for the 10th time on the hardwood and the sixth time as conference opponents Sunday. The Golden Grizzlies own an 8-1 (.889) advantage in the all-time series. Oakland has won four consecutive games over the Colonials after a 69-65 win in the opening contest of the 2022-23 season series at the Athletics Center O'Rena (1/12/23). In that contest Oakland scored the final six points of the game to earn the victory. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while junior guard Enoch Cheeks added 20 points and seven boards.
 
Detroit Mercy Notes – RMU picked up its first win in seven tries against the Titans, improving to 1-1 (.500) against UDM at the UPMC Events Center ... The Colonials scored 53 points in the second half, a season high, converting 66.7 percent (18-for-27) of their shots from the field, including 50 percent (7-for-14) from beyond the arc ... Overall RMU knocked down 52.6 percent (30-for-57) of its shots in improving to 5-0 this season when successful on at least half its attempts from the floor ... The contest featured five ties and three lead changes ... Detroit Mercy owned a 34-29 edge in rebounding, including an 11-5 edge on the offensive glass ... The Colonials, however, outscored the Titans, 34-30, in points in the paint. 
 
3x6 – Josh Corbin was one of five Colonials to score in double figures in an 85-77 win over Detroit Mercy (1/27/23), contributing 20 points on the strength of a 6-for-12 performance from beyond the arc. Corbin has reached the 20-point plateau five times for RMU so far during the 2022-23 season, with the Colonials owning a record of 4-1 (.800) in those contests. Each time the junior guard has reached that threshold he has drained six three-pointers. Corbin owns 70 triples so far this season, an average of 3.18 per game that ranks second in the Horizon League, and is on pace to finish the regular season with 99 three-pointers. The only two Colonials to hit at least 100 three-pointers in a season are former guards Karvel Anderson (2012-14) and Josh Williams (2018-20). 
 
Toe The Line – RMU concludes its January schedule Sunday by hosting Oakland in the midst of its best stretch of the season converting at the free-throw line. The Colonials finished 12-for-13 (92.3%) at the stripe in an 85-77 victory over Detroit Mercy (1/27/23) to open a four-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center and in seven games during January have converted 84.3 percent (91-for-108) at the chalk. The quintet of Michael Green III, Stephaun Walker, Josh Corbin, Matt Mayers and TJ Wainwright have combined to go a perfect 39-for-39 during that stretch, while junior guard Enoch Cheeks is 21-for-25 (84%) and fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear is 25-for-31 (80.6%).
 
On The Precipice – Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear, RMU's active leader for consecutive games played (72) and starts (59), is closing in on joining a special club at RMU. Spear has amassed 985 points in 72 career contests for the Colonials since transferring from Bucknell, an average of 13.7 points per game, and is just 15 points shy of eclipsing 1,000 career points at RMU. Spear joined the RMU 500-Rebound Club in a 72-38 victory @ Green Bay (1/21/23) with his first board against the Phoenix and would become just the 14th student-athlete in program history to eclipse both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. The last to turn the trick was former forward Lucky Jones (2011-2015).
 
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 72 career contests at RMU, Spear owns 86 dunks, an average of 1.19 per contest, and 84 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 114 career blocks in five seasons at the NCAA Division I level. Spear has cracked the top five for career blocks at RMU with 84, as he ranks fourth.

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