MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Preston Ruedinger scored eight points in overtime to lead Green Bay to an 81-76 victory over RMU on Thursday night at the UPMC Events Center.
 
The first place Phoenix improve to 16-9, 11-3 HL while RMU falls to 9-15, 5-8 HL.


1^st HALF
Green Bay had control of the 1^st half, leading for over 19 minutes. At 9:07, Ruedinger's 3-pointer gave the Phoenix its first double-figure lead of the game at 24-12. RMU cut the deficit to three points on Stephaun Walker's one-handed dunk with 1:23 remaining capping a 15-6 run before Noah Reynolds' layup sent the game into halftime with Green Bay leading 32-27.


2^nd HALF
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Markeese Hastings to open up the 2^nd half gave RMU its first lead of the game at 33-32. Green Bay regained the advantage on its next possession and held RMU without a field goal for the next three-plus minutes while taking a 43-35 lead at the 16:32 mark. RMU would make it a one-possession contest four different times and would tie the game 61-61 on Josh Corbin's floater with 3:07 left. The teams exchanged points including Corbin's free throws with 22.8 seconds remaining that deadlocked the score at 65-65. The Colonials defense got a stop on the final possession when Foster Wonders rebounded a Reynolds miss but his putback did not fall at the end of regulation.


OVERTIME
The extra period saw a pair of lead changes and two ties before Clarence Cummings III and Ruedinger's baskets put the Phoenix ahead 74-70 with 52 seconds left. On the Colonials' next trip down the floor, Corbin rebounded his missed 3-pointer and turned it into a driving layup to get RMU within two points at 74-72 with 36.5 left. Both teams converted their next four free throws to make the score 78-76 with 17.4 seconds remaining. David Douglas Jr. extended Green Bay's lead to 80-76 with 11.9 seconds to go. However, Marcus Hall came up with a steal with 6.4 seconds to play and closed out the scoring with a foul shot.



INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Hastings finished with 25 points and had a career-high 11 field goals. Corbin added 23 points, making a career-best 13 free throws. Justice Williams tied a career-high with five assists. The Colonials had a season-best seven blocks.
 
Reynolds, who is third in the HL in scoring, finished with a game-high 31 points. Ruedinger had 16 points.
 

PAT GALLAGHER HEAD COACH ANDREW TOOLE
"I give our guys credit for battling back from 12 down and getting the big stop at the end of regulation. We had some chances at the end of overtime we weren't able to convert on, which is disappointing. Green Bay is having a really good season, they just made one or two more plays. We're going to keep pushing, keep fighting, keep challenging and keep battling."


UP NEXT
RMU remains at the UPMC Events Center to host Milwaukee on Saturday, February 10.

RMU MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKETS
Single game tickets are on sale now for all home games at the UPMC Events Center. Special group rates and experiences for the 2023-24 season can be purchased by calling the RMU Ticket Hotline at (412) 397-4949.


RMU GAMEDAY APP
The RMU Athletics Gameday App is your one-stop location to access exclusive content such as audio streaming, podcasts and fan guides. It will also feature promotional offers for fans from various sponsors of RMU athletics. Fans can download the RMU Athletics Gameday App (search "RMU Colonials") from both the App Store and Google Play, or by clicking the link below.


SEE YOU IN INDY
Tickets for the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championships taking place in Indianapolis March 11-12 at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum are now on sale. Tickets for the men's and women's semifinals and championship games are available for purchase at HorizonLeague.com, Ticketmaster, or by heading to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum Box Office at 1202 E. 38th St. Indianapolis, IN 46205.
 
 
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | RMU Athletics Gameday App