Latrobe, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded its preseason exhibition schedule Monday with a 78-61 victory over Saint Vincent at the Carey Center.
Trailing, 24-11, at the 6:27 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws by Austin Dedert, RMU closed the stanza on a 21-1 run to grab a 32-25 lead at the break. Freshman forward Chris Coalmon got the surge started with a tip-in, and junior guard
Matty McConnell led the way with eight points.
McConnell gave the Colonials the lead with a pull-up jumper on the fast break with 2:11 left before the break after coming down with a defensive rebound. Junior forward Malik Petteway, meanwhile, added six points during the key spurt that ignited Robert Morris.
SVC trimmed its deficit to two early in the second half, 32-30, thanks to five points from Jason Capco, but the Colonials stretched their lead to double digits, 48-37, for the first time after a pair of free throws from freshman forward Charles Bain.
Coalmon gave Robert Morris its biggest lead, 72-52, with 4:28 to play with a layup on a feed from McConnell.
Four student-athletes reached double figures for RMU in the victory, led by McConnell with 24. He shot 7-of-14 from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and was 7-for-8 at the free-throw line. He added six rebounds and six steals.
Petteway notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Coalmon finished with 11 points and four boards. Freshman guard Jon Williams chipped in 10 points, four assists and a steal.
As a team, RMU shot 41.1 percent (23-for-56) from the field and converted at a 71.1 percent (27-for-38) clip at the free-throw line. In the second 20 minutes of action the Colonials were 19-of-23 (82.6%) at the line.
Robert Morris now gears up for the 2017-18 regular season, which tips Friday, Nov. 10, at 7:00 p.m. at Ohio State.
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