Coming into Sunday’s matchup with Northern Kentucky, RMU Basketball was 0-2 in Horizon League play and couldn’t afford another home loss before this week’s road trip. After a slow start, things got really competitive and close in the final 35 minutes, with the teams trading leads back and forth.
The game not only got into overtime but ended up making history for the Colonials, playing in its first-ever 3OT game. In the end, RMU Basketball held on for the thrilling 97-93 victory to move to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
1. Alvaro Folguerias and Amarion Dickerson the best frontcourt duo in the Horizon
In a game where two guards fouled out, one shot horribly from the field, and RMU went 7/33 from deep, they needed star performances from the frontcourt duo. And they more than came through, with Dickerson going for season-highs of 27 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, while Folguerias had 21 points, 19 rebounds, and six assists.
Neither player made a three-pointer, so all of their work was done inside. And considering NKU had one of the better interior defenders in the league (Keeyan Itejere), their performances were all the more impressive. There are plenty of quality frontcourt players in the conference, but none has two of this quality.
2. Ball control proved to be the difference
On paper, Northern Kentucky did just about all they needed to get the win. They shot better from the field and three-point range, had a 65-52 rebounding advantage, and missed one fewer FT. However, the one area in which they got hurt was in the turnover margin, losing 23-13 in that category.
And even worse, the Colonials had 23 assists to just 16 on the Norse side. RMU may play recklessly at times, but they don’t make a ton of mistakes, and that helped them stay in the game long enough to eventually win.
3. Kam Woods’ key impact in other area
In a game with a lot of noteworthy stats, what stands out is Woods going 4/26 from the field, 2/11 from deep, and 2/6 from the FT line. Efficiency has been an issue for the NC State transfer, but he still had a big role in the win. He had a game-high 10 assists and four steals while helping limit NKU’s Sam Vinson to just 4/18 shooting from the field.
Woods played 52 minutes in the game, more than anyone else in the game. Yes, it would be ideal if his tough shots would go in more but now that he’s back in the lineup, he’s been an asset to the Colonials overall.