Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics
Manhattan, Kansas – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team continued its six-game road trip and play in the Barclays Classic Tuesday with a 61-40 setback to Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 10-0 advantage behind the play of Dean Wade, who scored seven points in the opening salvo, including a three-pointer that gave KSU a double-digit lead.
Senior forward
Aaron Tate got the Colonials on the board at the 16:32 mark of the first half with a layup, but RMU (0-5) struggled on the offensive end all night, shooting just 22.8 percent (13-for-57) from the field. It marks the lowest field goal percentage by Robert Morris in seven years under head coach
Andrew Toole.
"We got off to such a slow start and turned the ball over way too much in the first half," Toole said. "We were never able to get out of that hole. Kansas State makes it very difficult on your to get clean shots. You have to be able to make quicker decisions, be strong with the ball and execute better. That's where we fell apart."
Kansas State had a 36-19 edge at halftime and scored the first basket out of the break to extend its lead to 38-19 after a dunk from D.J. Johnson. The Colonials whittled their deficit to 36-23 thanks to layups from junior forward
Roberto Mantovani and sophomore guard
Isaiah Still and looked poised to cut into KSU's lead further.
However, the Colonials just couldn't seem to get the ball to go through the basket. In one 45-second stretch, RMU corralled seven offensive rebounds off missed shots, including five from Tate.
"I thought our guys continued to compete, but we missed a bunch of easy shots at the end of the first half and to start the second half," Toole said. "I think
Aaron Tate basically outrebounded K-State. He is a senior and plays incredibly hard. Those are the kinds of efforts that we expect from Aaron. It's what he gives us night in and night out and is why he is such a valued member of our team."
Tate tied a career-high with 11 rebounds as Robert Morris posted a 40-38 edge on the glass, the fifth consecutive game to open the 2016-17 campaign the Colonials have been even or better against an opponent in caroms. On the offensive boards, RMU held a 21-11 cushion.
Still was the only player to finish in double figures for Robert Morris, scoring 10 points while also registering six rebounds and three steals. Senior guard
Kavon Stewart added seven points, four rebounds and a pair of assists but suffered five of a season-high 25 turnovers for Robert Morris.
Wade paced Kansas State with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Johnson and Barry Brown each finished with 12 points.
The Colonials conclude their six-game road swing and play in the Barclays Classic with a pair of games in Baltimore, Md., this weekend. RMU squares off with Hampton Friday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at Towson University and will play either the host Tigers or Stony Brook Saturday, Nov. 26, at either 5:00 or 7:30 p.m.
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