GAME 24
Northern Kentucky (14-9 / 9-3 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (11-12 / 6-6 #HLMBB)
Thursday, February 2, 2023 • 7:00 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 Thursday in search of its fourth consecutive win by welcoming Northern Kentucky to the UPMC Events Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
- Behind a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds from fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear, the Colonials closed out January with a 68-63 victory over Oakland (1/29/23). Spear shot 11-for-16 from the field in the victory, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.
 
- Thanks to a dunk to open the scoring in the second half against the Golden Grizzlies, fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau as a member of the Colonials, becoming the 15th student-athlete in program history to eclipse career totals of both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. He also became the 26th member of the RMU 1,000-Point Club.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear was tabbed the Horizon League Player of the Week (1/30/23) after averaging 27.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in home victories over Detroit Mercy (1/27/23) and Oakland (1/29/23). He became the first RMU student-athlete in program history to garner the honor.
 
- During RMU's three-game winning streak, fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear is averaging 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest while converting 63.6 percent (28-for-44) of his shots from the floor and 93.8 percent (15-for-16) at the free-throw line. As a team, the Colonials have knocked down 38 of their 41 attempts (92.7%) at the stripe during their three-game surge and are allowing an average of just 59.3 points per contest.
 
- 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.
 
- 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).
 
- The Colonials wrap up a four-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center Saturday, Feb. 4, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Wright State after taking on the Norse Thursday.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY LINKS
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The All-Time Series (Northern Kentucky) – Northern Kentucky and RMU tip for the sixth time on the hardwood Thursday, with the Norse owning a 4-1 (.800) advantage in the all-time series. In the opening game of the 2022-23 season series, NKU posted a 60-56 win over the Colonials at Truist Arena (12/3/22). Xavier Rhodes missed a three-pointer with 23 seconds to go and the Norse leading by a pair, 58-56, with junior guard Enoch Cheeks coming down with the rebound for the Colonials. Out of an RMU timeout, however, Cheeks turned the ball over, with Sam Vinson coming up with the steal for NKU. Marques Warrick followed for Northern Kentucky, sealing the win with a pair at the free-throw line to settle the final score. Cheeks and fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear each scored 13 points to pace RMU.
 
Oakland Notes – RMU picked up just its second win in the all-time series in 10 games against the Golden Grizzlies, both of which have come at the UPMC Events Center ... The Colonials held a 38-26 cushion in points in the paint and also outscored Oakland, 11-4, in second-chance opportunities ... RMU posted a 35-31 edge in rebounding, improving to 7-5 (.583) this season when outrebounding its opponent ... The Colonials shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the field in the second half, grabbing their biggest lead of the contest, 51-41, after three-pointers on back-to-back possessions from fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear ... Spear also added four dunks in the victory to push his season total in the category to 26 (1.13 per game).
 
The Month Of The Wolf – RMU finished January with an overall record of 4-4 (.500), yielding an average of 69.9 points per game. Leading the charge offensively was fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear, who scored in double figures in each of RMU's eight games during the month, which is the longest active streak by a member of the Colonials. In January, Spear produced averages of 20.0 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 58.1 percent (61-for-105) from the field and 83.3 percent (30-for-36) at the free-throw line. He capped the month by becoming the 26th member of the RMU 1,000-Point Club as well as just the 15th student-athlete in RMU's 47-year NCAA Division I history to eclipse both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Meanwhile ...
 
... 30-for-30 – Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear, RMU's active leader for consecutive games played (73) and starts (60), became the 25th student-athlete for the Colonials to score at least 30 points in a game thanks to a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a 68-63 triumph over Oakland (1/29/23). The last 30-point performance for RMU prior to Spear's, a span of 108 games, came in a 98-89 overtime win over Cornell (3/19/19) in the first round of the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), when former guard Josh Williams (2018-20) scored 36 points. At the NCAA Division I level, Spear owns career totals of 1,187 points and 632 rebounds in 119 games, including 67 starting assignments.
 
Help The Helper – RMU concluded the month of January averaging 16.3 assists in eight games while also recording an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24. Senior guard Michael Green III averaged 4.6 assists during the month, while junior guard Enoch Cheeks added an average of 4.0 per contest. Green III has blossomed since the calendar has switched to 2023, as he has recorded an assist-to-turnover of 2.85 during that span and enters Thursday's game against Northern Kentucky ranked second in the Horizon League in both assists (4.8 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.35).
 
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 217-65 (.770) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to a 68-63 triumph over Oakland at the UPMC Events Center, the Colonials own a mark of 166-58 (.741) 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 percent (281-of-520) of the time.

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