Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team snapped a two-game slide Monday, defeating IUPUI, 77-70, at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials improved to 8-9 (.471) overall thanks to the victory, including 3-3 (.500) in Horizon League action.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Jaguars erased a 15-point halftime deficit, tying the contest, 61-61, after Chris Osten converted a layup with 4:26 to play. Junior forward
Matt Mayers pushed the Colonials back in front with a hook shot in the lane, but Osten again struck, converting off a feed from Vincent Brady II to tie the game for the third time. Junior guard
Enoch Cheeks put RMU over the top on the next possession, draining a three-pointer from the right wing to ignite an 8-1 spurt that gave the Colonials a 71-64 advantage with 49 seconds remaining. Fifth-year forward
Kahliel Spear converted a layup after a turnover by Brady II to give RMU a 68-63 cushion, and he also was sent to the free-throw line on consecutive possessions, converting three of his four attempts to help keep the Jaguars at bay.
QUOTABLE
"Fortunate to be able to come out of here with a win tonight," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "Give IUPUI credit. Each and every game that I've watched as we were preparing to play them, they continue to play for 40 minutes. They fight for each and every possession. They certainly outplayed us in the second half. Fortunately we were able to make some plays down the stretch. Enoch's three was huge."
STARBURST
Leading, 30-22, after a dunk from Cheeks with four-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half, the Colonials ended the opening 20 minutes on a 16-7 run to open up their biggest lead of the game, 44-29. Junior guard
Josh Corbin gave RMU its first double-digit advantage, 32-22, with a driving layup, and his three-pointer at the 2:09 mark opened up a 37-26 edge. Corbin also buried a triple from the corner as time expired in the first half that gave the Colonials their biggest lead.
GRACE SPACE PACE
IUPUI (3-14 / 0-6 #HLMBB) scored the first six points of the second half to close to within 44-35, and RMU's cushion dwindled to 49-46 with 10:07 to play after a driving layup from Daylan Hamilton. A triple from Armon Jarrard would pull the Jaguars to within 53-52, setting up a two-minute stretch in which the offense for both teams came at the free-throw line. Mayers would provide a dunk on a feed from Cheeks to help the Colonials stay in front, 59-56, setting up a frenzied stretch in which IUPUI was able to tie the game twice but never grab the lead.
WIDE OPEN SPACES
Senior guard
Michael Green III handed out eight assists in the first half as the Colonials opened up a 15-point advantage at halftime, but his biggest dime came with 3:16 remaining, as he found Cheeks open on the wing for the three-pointer that put RMU in front for good. It was part of an all-around effort for Green III, who recorded his first double-double for the Colonials and second of his NCAA Division I career by scoring 12 points and handing out a career-high 11 assists. It's the most assists by a student-athlete for the Colonials against an NCAA Division I foe since former guard Matty McConnell (2015-19) handed out 11 in a 74-60 win over Drexel (12/10/17) at PPG Paints Arena.
QUOTABLE
"When he hit the court you could see Mike he was really energized and really locked in," Toole said. "He did a great job getting in the paint and getting the ball out of his hands on time. In the second half there were opportunities for him to score. We always talk about trying to make the right play. Whether it's your opportunity to shoot or if help comes it's your opportunity to pass. Mike did a really good job of making those decisions and executing the plays that were in front of him. That's all you can ask for from any of the guys on your team, but especially from one of your point guards."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Pacing the Colonials Monday was Spear, who also recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He finished 6-for-10 from the field and posted a 9-for-13 performance at the free-throw line despite being saddled with his fourth foul early in the second half. Spear and Green are the first duo to post a double-double in the same game for the Colonials against DI opposition since forwards AJ Bramah (2019-21) and Yannis Mendy (2018-20) turned the trick in an 89-71 win over Bryant (2/6/19). Cheeks added 16 points, four boards and three assists for RMU.
QUOTABLE
"I felt like I was able to get in the lane, and my teammates made open shots," Green III said. "I wouldn't be able to get those assists without those guys finishing. It's nothing different, really. It's about staying connected with my teammates, as always. We were able to make shots tonight at a high clip, especially in the first half."
UP NEXT
A four-game road trip is on tap for the Colonials, who open the swing Thursday, Jan. 12, with a 7:00 p.m. tip at Oakland. RMU will also travel to Detroit Mercy (1/14), Milwaukee (1/19) and Green Bay (1/21).
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