GAME 29
Milwaukee (18-9 / 12-5 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (13-15 / 8-9 #HLMBB)
Saturday, February 18, 2023 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.

TV: ESPN+ • Radio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jeff Waller (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team continues its final homestand of the 2022-23 regular season Saturday with the second of three games, welcoming Milwaukee for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the UPMC Events Center.
 
- The Colonials opened their final homestand of the year with a 71-56 victory over Green Bay (2/16/23). Junior guard Enoch Cheeks led four scorers in double figures with a game-high 18 points and also added six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
 
- Off the bench in the win over the Phoenix, senior guard Michael Green III tallied 13 points, three rebounds and three assists, fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear recorded 12 points and nine rebounds and sophomore guard Jackson Last contributed 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds. RMU also matched a season high in blocks with eight.
 
- Spear ranks 21st all-time at RMU in career points with 1,078 and is 46 shy of cracking the top 20 in program history. Currently sitting 20th is former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14), who will be in attendance Saturday as the Colonials recognize the 10-year reunion of RMU's first round win over Kentucky in the 2013 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), with 1,123 points.
 
- The Colonials picked up their first win in the month of February by climbing out of an 18-point deficit to earn a 71-64 triumph over Purdue Fort Wayne (2/12/23) at the Gates Sports Center. Senior guard Michael Green III scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to bolster RMU.
 
- The Colonials trailed against the Mastodons, 15-0, and faced their largest deficit, 31-13, at the 5:35 mark of the first half but closed the game on a 16-2 run to earn the win. Green III connected for a three-pointer to snap a 64-64 tie and also hit a jumper that gave RMU a 69-64 edge with 23 seconds remaining. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear added 12 points and seven rebounds in the triumph.
 
- During the month of February the Colonials have been led by junior guard Enoch Cheeks, who is stuffing the stat sheet. He is producing averages of 16.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest. Overall this season in 26 games, Cheeks ranks ninth in the Horizon League in scoring (16.3 ppg), second in blocks (1.2 bpg) and fourth in steals (1.8 spg).
 
- Freshman forward Stephaun Walker is averaging 7.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in five games during the month of February, converting 56.7 percent (17-for-30) of his shots from the field during that span. Of his 38 rebounds in February, exactly half (19-of-38) have come on the offensive glass.
 
- RMU closes out its three-game homestand by hosting Youngstown State Tuesday, Feb. 21, after taking on Milwaukee Saturday.

MILWAUKEE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets

The All-Time Series (Milwaukee) – Milwaukee and RMU square off for the seventh time Saturday, with the Panthers owning a 4-2 (.667) advantage in the all-time series. In the opening game of the 2022-23 season series the Panthers used a 9-0 surge late en route to a 77-69 win at UWM Panther Arena (1/19/23). Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear paced the Colonials with 20 points and 13 rebounds. 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.
 
Green Bay Notes – RMU improved to 3-1 (.750) against the Phoenix and has won three consecutive games in the all-time series ... The Colonials owned a 40-28 edge on the glass, including 12-7 in offensive rebounds ... Of the career-high nine rebounds from sophomore guard Jackson Last, four were offensive, helping RMU outscore Green Bay, 20-6, in second-chance opportunities ... RMU finished with 34 points in the paint, 20 off turnovers and 20 in second chance, its first 30-20-20 line of the 2022-23 season ... Junior guard Enoch Cheeks finished 8-for-8 at the free-throw line against the Phoenix, the most free throws without a miss by a member of the Colonials this season. 
 
All-American Rejects – For the second time in three games RMU posted a season-high in blocks in a 71-56 triumph over Green Bay (2/16/23) to open a three-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials finished with eight rejections, including three from fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear. RMU also finished with eight blocks @ Cleveland State (2/10/23), which matches the most the Colonials have finished with in game since joining the Horizon League prior to the 2020-21 season. In a 74-64 win over Northern Kentucky (1/15/22) at the at the UPMC Events Center RMU also posted eight rejections. As a team in 2022-23, the Colonials own 105 blocks, an average of 3.75 per game that ranks second in the Horizon League. Only Milwaukee, RMU's opponent Saturday, has more rejections (154) this season.
 
Surf Board – Kahliel Spear for game-high honors in rebounds in a 71-56 victory over Green Bay (2/16/23) with nine, falling just a board shy of posting his fourth consecutive double-double at the UPMC Events Center. Spear pushed his season totals in caroms to 226, which has cracked the top 10 in the RMU single-season record book. In his first full year with the Colonials last season, Spear finished with 246 rebounds, which is tied for fifth with former forward Lucky Jones (2011-15).
 
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 219-67 (.766) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to a 71-56 win over Green Bay (2/16/23) to open a three-game homestand, the Colonials own a mark of 168-60 (.737) 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 54.5 percent (286-of-525) of the time.

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | RMU Athletics Gameday App

Tweet #BobbyMo