GAME 25
Wright State (13-11 / 6-7 #HLMBB) vs. RMU (11-13 / 6-7 #HLMBB)
Saturday, February 4, 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 wraps up a four-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center Saturday by hosting Wright State in a 7:00 p.m. tip. The Colonials are looking for their fourth win in the last five games.
 
-The Colonials had a three-game surge snapped by dropping a 65-52 decision to Northern Kentucky (2/2/23) to open February. The Norse closed the game on a 17-2 run to earn the win as RMU tied a season high with 19 turnovers. The Colonials also finished with 19 turnovers in a 71-66 triumph @ Central Michigan (12/7/22).
 
- Junior guard Enoch Cheeks led RMU against NKU with 20 points and also finished with eight rebounds and three steals. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear, meanwhile, notched his second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cheeks (16.3 ppg) and Spear (16.0 ppg) rank seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Horizon League in scoring.
 
- During their current homestand, the Colonials have scored 205 points (68.3 ppg) and have allowed 205 points (68.3 ppg). Both RMU and its opponents also have the exact same number of field goals (77), three-point field goals (25) and free throws (26). RMU owns 99-93 edge on the glass.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear is averaging 24.0 points and 8.3 rebounds during RMU's homestand while shooting 66.7 percent (28-for-42) from the field and 92.9 percent (13-for-14) at the free-throw line.
 
- 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.
 
- 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.

WRIGHT STATE LINKS
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The All-Time Series (Wright State) – Wright State and RMU meet for the eighth time Saturday, with the Raiders owning a 6-1 (.857) advantage in the all-time series. In the opening game of the 2022-23 season series, RMU notched an 80-59 win over Wright State at the Nutter Center (12/1/22) in Dayton, Ohio, in the Horizon League opener for both programs. The Colonials used a 14-5 run to close out the first half and grab a 44-36 lead at halftime. Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led RMU in the first meeting this season with 27 points, which at the time matched a career high. He shot 12-for-15 from the floor and also added five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. The late Paul Meyer (1948-2022) covered both Wright State and RMU for the Dayton Journal Herald and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, respectively, during his esteemed career as a beat writer. Meyer covered Wright State's run to the NCAA Division II national title in 1983 as well as RMU's improbable victory over defending national champion Kentucky in the 2013 NIT 30 years later.
 
Northern Kentucky Notes – The Norse improved to 5-1 (.833) in the all-time series against RMU, including 3-1 (.750) at the UPMC Events Center ... NKU converted 52 percent (13-for-25) of its shots from the field in the second half and finished at 46.3 percent (25-for-54) overall ... RMU shot 39.6 percent (21-for-53), its lowest at home against a Horizon League foe ... The Colonials slipped to 1-11 (.083) this season when trailing at halftime ... RMU owned a 35-28 advantage in rebounding, including a cushion of 12-7 on the offensive glass ... The work on the glass helped the Colonials outscore Northern Kentucky, 12-8, in second chance opportunities, while the Norse owned a 21-12 edge in points off turnovers. 
 
Double Vision – Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear recorded his second consecutive and eighth double-double of the 2022-23 season against Northern Kentucky (2/2/23), finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double was also the 18th of his career with the Colonials, moving him into a tie for second all-time in program history with former forward Earl Cureton (1976-77). The only student-athlete in program history to post at least 20 double-doubles over the course of his career is former forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08), who finished with 25.
 
3x6 – Josh Corbin was one of five Colonials to score in double figures in an 85-77 win over Detroit Mercy (1/27/23), contributing 20 points on the strength of a 6-for-12 performance from beyond the arc. Corbin has reached the 20-point plateau five times for RMU so far during the 2022-23 season, with the Colonials owning a record of 4-1 (.800) in those contests. Each time the junior guard has reached that threshold he has drained six three-pointers. Corbin owns 75 triples so far this season, an average of 3.13 per game that ranks second in the Horizon League, and is on pace to finish the regular season with 97 three-pointers. The only two Colonials to hit at least 100 three-pointers in a season are former guards Karvel Anderson (2012-14) and Josh Williams (2018-20). 
 
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 217-66 (.767) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Despite a 65-52 setback to Northern Kentucky (2/2/23) at the UPMC Events Center, the Colonials own a mark of 166-59 (.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 54.1 percent (282-of-521) of the time.

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