Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened the home portion of its 2018-19 campaign Wednesday in historic fashion by dropping a single-game school record 22 three-pointers in a 104-57 victory over Mount Aloysius at the North Athletic Complex.
THE LATEST HOME
The Colonials made a successful return to campus after playing their home games last season at both PPG Paints Arena and the A.J. Palumbo Center, improving to 36-7 (.837) all-time in home openers in the program's first game at the student recreation & fitness center at the North Athletic Complex. RMU will play its home games at the quaint venue until the completion of the UPMC Events Center in 2019.
LET THE RHYTHM HIT 'EM
Senior guard
Josh Williams announced his arrival to the RMU faithful in dramatic fashion in his first home game in a Robert Morris uniform. Williams knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the contest with 7:18 left in the first half en route to a 7-for-12 performance in the first half. Williams was possibly even better in the second half, going 8-for-13 from deep to help bolster his performance en route to a Robert Morris single-game school record 49 points. Williams is just the second member of the Colonials in the program's 43-year Division I history to eclipse 40 points in a game. He broke the old mark of 42, which was set by former guard Maurice Carter (2001-05) @ Eastern Michigan (11/26/02).
TYING AN NCAA MARK
Williams finished 15-for-25 from beyond the arc, tying an NCAA Division I record for three-point field goals originally established in 1996. Keith Veney of Marshall also finished 15-for-25 from deep en route to a 51-point performance in a 115-93 victory over Morehead State Dec. 14, 1996.
QUOTABLE
"It shows that hard works pays off,"
Josh Williams said. "You can never settle down and be satisfied with one performance. This isn't a championship, so at the end of the day it doesn't mean that much. It really doesn't mean much. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have to go and compete like today never happened. Just day in and day out give my best effort."
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Josh Williams (11/14/18)
THREE'S COMPANY
Thanks to the performance from Williams, Robert Morris set a team record for three-pointers in the contest with 22. The Colonials actually shot better from beyond the arc (51.2%) than they did overall (50.8%). Senior guard
Matty McConnell and sophomore guard
Jon Williams each added two three-pointers in the win over the Mounties.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
An opening layup from junior forward
Yannis Mendy, followed by three-pointers from
Josh Williams,
Jon Williams, another from
Josh Williams and
Matty McConnell helped RMU open up a 14-3 lead with less than four minutes gone in the contest. Mount Aloysius never trailed by single digits the rest of the game.
A TALE OF TWO SIDES
Robert Morris forced Mount Aloysius into 25 turnovers, capitalizing for 31 points off those miscues. The Mounties, meanwhile, garnered a 30-18 advantage in points in the paint. Julian Stover led Mount Aloysius with 26 points on the strength of an 18-for-19 performance at the free-throw line.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
While the 49-point outburst by
Josh Williams took center stage in RMU's home opener, don't forget the Colonials debuted a red uniform for the first time in the program's 43-year history. Not a bad start for those uniforms.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Head Coach Andrew Toole (11/14/18)
UP NEXT
Robert Morris, which sold out the North Athletic Complex (1,019) in its return to campus, gets back to action in the 2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Saturday, Nov. 17, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Mississippi Valley State at the North Athletic Complex. The contest wraps up a two-game homestand.
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