After another huge performance by junior guard Enoch Cheeks, RMU Basketball is over .500 in Horizon League play for the first time in program history.
It’s well-documented the struggles that RMU Basketball has had in the first two years of the Horizon League, going a combined 8-28 against its conference peers. After a decade of dominance under head coach Andy Toole in the Northeast Conference, it’s been a humbling experience for the program.
But after returning its top three scorers and adding some solid complementary pieces in the supporting cast, there was some optimism that Year 3 would be different. There have been some inconsistent results, including getting swept in the Thanksgiving MTE, before beating Wright State by 21 points on the road to open league play.
After wins over former rivals, Mount St. Mary’s and St. Francis (PA), the Colonials went back to league play, taking on Purdue-Fort Wayne. The Mastodons were last season’s regular-season winner and a preseason favorite this year to repeat after returning most of its roster. At home, this was a nice test to see if RMU truly could be a threat in the Horizon League.
After a 16-6 lead to start the game for RMU, Purdue-Fort Wayne eventually caught up and had small leads of its own. It ended up being a back-and-forth battle, ultimately being decided in the final minutes. That’s happened in the past for the Colonials, before compounding mistakes usually doom them.
In a twist, it was RMU that was the more poised and clutch team down the stretch. Josh Corbin, who shot 2/8 from deep on the night, went for a key layup in the last minute to maintain the lead, giving the underdogs a 75-70 victory. Enoch Cheeks, who has been a star for the team all season, had a season-high 24 points, making up for an off-night from Kahliel Spear, who was reportedly dealing with a hip issue.
Thanks to Cheeks and a good collective effort, Robert Morris is now 7-7 on the season and more importantly, 2-1 in Horizon League play, the first time ever over .500. That ties them with four other programs for second place, all behind 3-0 Northern Kentucky, whom the Colonials nearly beat at their place a couple of weeks ago.
The defensive improvements are there and this team has one of the best players in the conference in Enoch Cheeks. That’s been the recipe for RMU Basketball in the past to succeed and so far, that’s what makes them a team to watch in the Horizon League going forward. If they can beat Cleveland State at home on Saturday to improve to 3-1, then they’ll really get some attention.