GAME 30
Youngstown State (22-7 / 14-4 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (14-15 / 9-9 #HLMBB)
Tuesday, February 21, 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 concludes the home portion of its 2022-23 regular season Tuesday by welcoming Horizon League frontrunner Youngstown State to the UPMC Events Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
- The Colonials stretched their winning streak to three with an 80-60 victory over Milwaukee (2/18/23) in the second tilt of their three-game homestand. Junior guard Josh Corbin came off the bench to tie for game-high honors in scoring with 16 points. Sophomore guard Jackson Last also finished with 16 points, a new career high, and also added six rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear recorded his 20th career double-double at RMU in the win over the Panthers thanks to 14 boards and 11 rebounds, senior guard Michael Green III chipped in 14 points and five rebounds and junior guard Enoch Cheeks finished with 11 points and a game-high seven assists.
 
- In its win over Milwaukee, RMU set a season high in rebounds (45) and rebounding margin (+22) while tying season highs in blocks (8) and steals (11). Over their last four games, the Colonials have rejected 27 shots, an average of 6.8 per contest, with six players owning at least one block. The trio of Kahliel Spear (8), Enoch Cheeks (7) and Jackson Last (5) have combined for 20 during that stretch.
 
- During its three-game winning streak, senior guard Michael Green III is pacing RMU with averages of 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 58.1 percent (18-for-31) from the field, including 50 percent (6-for-12) from beyond the arc. He is also 9-for-10 at the stripe during that span.
 
- 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.
 
- Spear ranks 21st all-time at RMU in career points with 1,092 and is 32 shy of cracking the top 20 in program history. Currently sitting 20th is former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14), who inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022, 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.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE LINKS
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The All-Time Series (Youngstown State) – RMU and Youngstown State meet for the 27th time Tuesday, with the programs having split each of the previous 26 in the all-time series. A total of 18 of the 26 meetings between the two programs have been decided by eight points or less, including 17 of the last 22 contests. In the opening meeting of the 2022-23 season series, YSU closed the first half on a 15-5 run to grab a 29-25 lead at the break en route to a 78-56 victory over the Colonials at the Beeghly Center. Junior guard Enoch Cheeks finished with 16 points to pace the Colonials, while freshman forward Stephaun Walker scored 11.
 
Milwaukee Notes – RMU earned a split of the 2022-23 season series against the Panthers with the victory at the UPMC Events Center, while Milwaukee owns a 4-3 (.571) edge in the all-time series ... The Colonials are 3-0 against the Panthers at the UPMC Events Center ... RMU finished with 19 turnovers, tying a season high ... The Colonials are 2-1 (.667) this season when finishing with 19 turnovers ... RMU outrebounded Milwaukee, 16-6, on the offensive glass ... Each of the three rebounds for Ahmad Rand of the Panthers were of the offensive variety, helping him score 11 points ... Rand also recorded three of Milwaukee's six blocks ... The five players in double figures in scoring for the Colonials in the win is a season high.
 
Shooters Gonna Shoot – Junior guard Josh Corbin connected for a trio of three-pointers as part of a 16-point effort in an 80-60 victory over Milwaukee (2/18/23) at the UPMC Events Center. The performance bumped his season total for triples to 83 and has helped Corbin crack the top 10 in the RMU single-season record book for three-pointers. He sits ninth in an effort to become just the fourth student-athlete in program history to connect for at least 90 three-pointers in a season, including the third under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole.
 
Last Action Hero – Sophomore guard Jackson Last has been a key contributor during RMU's three-game winning streak, providing averages of 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals while knocking down 48 percent (12-for-25) of his shots from the field, including a 5-for-12 performance (41.7%) from beyond the arc, and 83.3 percent (5-for-6) at the free-throw line. In an 80-60 victory over Milwaukee (2/18/23), Last set a career high with 16 points in tying for game-high honors. During the 2022-23 season, RMU is 5-1 (.833) when Last scores in double figures. 
 
All-American Rejects – For the third time in four games RMU posted a season-high in blocks in an 80-60 victory over Milwaukee (2/18/23) 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) as well as in a 71-56 triumph over Green Bay (2/16/23) to open its current three-game homestand. As a team in 2022-23, the Colonials own 113 blocks, an average of 3.90 per game that ranks second in the Horizon League. RMU's 113 rejections this season also ranks fourth in the single-season record book. The program record of 127 was set in 2015-16.
 
Dynamic Duo – The combo of fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear (35) and junior guard Enoch Cheeks (34) have combined for 69 rejections so far during the 2022-23 season, with Cheeks (1.26) ranking second and Spear (1.21) third in the Horizon League in blocks per game. Spear has punctuated the final homestand of the 2022-23 regular season by becoming the program's all-time leader in career blocks, a record that had stood for almost 40 years. Spear enters Tuesday's game against Youngstown State with 93 career rejections, which broke the old mark of 89 originally established by former guard Forest Grant (1980-84). In 125 career games at the NCAA Division I level, Spear has blocked 123 shots.
 
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 220-67 (.767) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Thanks to an 80-60 victory over Milwaukee (2/18/23) at the UPMC Events Center, the Colonials own a mark of 169-60 (.738) 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 54.6 percent (287-of-526) of the time.

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