Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team capped a perfect three-game homestand Tuesday and extended its winning streak to four with an 83-64 win over Youngstown State at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials evened their overall record during the 2022-23 season at 15-15 (.500), including 10-9 (.526) in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Trailing, 36-32, at halftime, Dwayne Cohill began to heat up for the Penguins, scoring seven consecutive points to give Youngstown State a 43-38 edge. The Colonials responded with a 19-0 run to grab a 57-43 cushion with 12:10 remaining as RMU shot a white hot 71.4 percent (20-for-28) from the field in the second half, including 63.6 percent (7-for-11) from beyond the arc. Junior guard
Josh Corbin opened the run with a three-pointer and scored 13 points during the salvo, connecting for a trio of three-pointers. Corbin led all scorers in the game with 19 points, all of which came in the second half, and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor after the break, including 5-for-5 from downtown.
QUOTABLE
"Our activity on the defensive side was really good," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "We talked about in the first game that Youngstown State was able to get wherever they wanted. Even in the first half tonight, we gave up a couple straight-line drives that you just can't give to a good team. Our activity in the gap was so much better in the second half. That allowed us to generate some deflections and contest some shots, which allowed us to run out and convert offensively. When you can get a couple easy baskets like that, that allows you to feel more comfortable and energized."
FIRE IT UP
RMU finished by converting 63 percent (34-for-54) of its shots from the field in extending its winning streak to the longest in three seasons as a member of the Horizon League. It also marked the best shooting percentage for the Colonials against an NCAA Division I opponent since converting 63.3 percent (31-for-49) of their attempts from the field against Toledo (12/7/13) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Rockets won that game, 80-77.
QUOTABLE
"I thought we were excellent on both sides of the ball in the second half," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "We were able to maintain that for the entire 20 minutes. Youngstown State is a talented offensive team, and I thought we handled their push in the first half and were successful slowing them down in the second half. We just want to try and string as many good possessions together as we can and see where that takes us. We've done a good job of late, but we have to continue to do that as frequently as we can and as often as the game asks us to."
DYNAMIC DUO
RMU hung around in the first half against Youngstown State (22-8 / 14-5 #HLMBB) thanks to the contributions from fifth-year forward
Kahliel Spear and junior guard
Enoch Cheeks. Each scored 11 points in the first half and also combined for nine rebounds while Spear matched a career high with four blocked shots. Spear pushed his total at RMU in blocks to 97 as he makes a late push to become the first student-athlete in program history to eclipse career totals of both 100 dunks and 100 rejections. Spear and Cheeks each scored 15 points, while senior guard
Michael Green III added 11 off the bench.
QUOTABLE
"I knew how important this game was," Spear said. "I wanted to come out and set an example for my teammates and try and bring some energy on defense. When I'm making those blocked shots and getting those tough rebounds, I can tell it energizes my teammates. We didn't play well in the first half and to our standard. In the second half we were getting stops and getting stops and getting rebounds. Staying with that was big for us."
UP NEXT
RMU takes to the road for its final game of the 2022-23 regular season, traveling to IUPUI Thursday, Feb. 23, for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The Colonials have also clinched a home game in the 2022 Barbasol Horizon League Tournament with still an opportunity to earn a bye in the first round.
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