MOON TOWNSHIP– Another successful weekend has concluded for the Colonials. Here’s how it all went down:
Men’s basketball (1-4) split their games this weekend, winning 85-65 over Howard (0-5) and falling 70-56 to Toledo (3-1). RMU had a balanced and impressive offensive display in the first game, with five players reaching double digits in scoring. Josh Williams and my player to watch in the weekend preview, Yannis Mendy, led the way with 14 points each. Dante Treacy put up a career-high 13 points, while Charles Bain and DJ Russell each scored ten points. Despite a good effort in their second game, RMU could never recover from a 24-5 run by Toledo that put the game out of reach. Williams led the way with 11 points for the Colonials, who will continue their season in Chicago with an 8:00 p.m. showdown on Thursday against UIC (1-3).
Volleyball (25-4, 15-1 NEC) also split their matches this weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson (4-26, 3-13 NEC) and a 3-1 loss to Long Island (12-16, 11-5 NEC). Emma Granger, one of my players to watch in the preview, had 16 kills, 4 block assists and an ace in the crusade against the Knights. Megan Cannon recorded the fourth double-double of her career with 45 assists and 10 digs. In the Colonials’ loss to LIU, Granger still played like a star, with 25 kills, three service aces and five block assists on the day. Nikolette Zanolli led in digs with 14, while Whitney Brown led in assists with 24. The team will host the NEC Tournament next weekend.
Men’s hockey (7-4, 7-1 AHA) swept Bentley (3-8, 2-7 AHA) with a pair of wins, 6-4 and 4-2. RMU scored five consecutive goals in the first victory to blow the game open and withstand a late charge from the Falcons. Nick Prkusic, one of my players to watch, netted two to continue his reign atop the team’s stat sheet this season. He was not the only Colonial to record two points in the contest, as Brandon Michaelian and Jacob Coleman both put up a goal and an assist. The second game was a different story, as it took goals from Santeri Hartikainen and Aiden Spellacy to break a 1-1 tie in the third period to help lead a banged-up RMU team to the win. The Colonials finished the night with three defensemen unavailable due to injury or illness, however, it was this game where they recorded their best game in terms of shots against, with only 17 pucks coming Justin Kapelmaster’s way. RMU will face Air Force (3-7, 3-3 AHA) in a pair of evening home games this upcoming Friday and Saturday.
Despite a 14-14 tie at the half, the RMU football team (6-5, 5-1 NEC) saw their five-game winning streak end with a 49-28 loss at Central Connecticut State (10-1, 6-0 NEC). One of my players to watch was Aaron Winchester of CCSU. He looked like Lamar Jackson of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens on the field, throwing for 111 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 91 yards and a remarkable four touchdowns. Danley Exilhomme rushed for 185 yards and Enyce Walker rushed for 90, giving the trio 366 rushing yards total. RMU’s George Martin and Caleb Lewis combined for 193 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and three interceptions. DeLano Madison picked up 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. The Colonials will finish their regular season at Joe Walton Stadium on Saturday against Sacred Heart (7-4, 4-2 NEC) at noon.
Women’s basketball (2-2) lost a heartbreaker, 61-59, to Columbia (2-3) on Sunday. The Colonials heard the Lions roar back in the fourth quarter and missed a potential game-winning three at the end of the game. They started slow and had a hard time from the field, shooting only 32.9%. Esther Castedo led RMU with 15 points and added five rebounds. Nneka Ezeigbo, my player to watch, led in rebounds with eight and picked up 14 points. She is only three points shy of 1,000 career points and would become only the 24th player in program history to accomplish the feat. The milestone could be reached when the team plays at 1:00 p.m. in their next game on Sunday at Kent State.
Stay tuned to RMU Sentry Media for updates throughout the year.
