Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team closed out a two-game homestand with a 68-59 victory over Mississippi Valley State at the North Athletic Complex as part of the 2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Jordan Evans gave the Delta Devils an early 7-3 lead with a two-point jumper and free throw after a foul by sophomore guard
Jon Williams. RMU (2-2) responded with an 18-3 to run to grab its first double-digit advantage of the contest, 21-10, at the 11:16 mark of the first half. Five different Colonials scored during the surge, including six points from senior forward
Malik Petteway and four from sophomore forward
Koby Thomas.
DYNAMIC DUO
Off the bench, Petteway and Thomas combined for 36 points and 17 rebounds in the victory, converting 75 percent (15-for-20) of their attempts from the floor. Petteway had a career night, notching his fourth career double-double with a career-high 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Thomas chipped in 10 points and six caroms.
ALMOST PERFECT
Petteway was working on a perfect shooting night until the final stretch of action. He was 10-for-10 from the floor and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line before his jumper from the elbow with 3:21 was strong. He finished the night converting 10 of his 11 shots from the field and through four games this season is shooting 73.9 percent (17-for-23) from the field.
ENCORE
Senior guard
Josh Williams didn't repeat his performance from three nights earlier with 15 three-pointers in a 104-057 win over Mount Aloysius, but he was the lone starter to score in double figures in the win over Mississippi Valley State. Williams shot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. He also tied a career high with six rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.
QUOTABLE
"Malik really was the difference for us tonight," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "I thought he really did a nice job of breaking down his defender in one-on-one situations, and he has the talent to not only take it to the rim, but knock down the mid-range jumper. Not only that, but he was really active on the defensive end with 11 rebounds. That's the type of player we're going to need on a consistent basis for us to be successful this year."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Robert Morris grabbed its biggest lead with 11:03 to play when Petteway provided a dunk to give the Colonials a 52-37 cushion. Mississippi Valley State (0-5) answered with an 11-3 run to close to within 55-48. RMU got its lead back to double digits after a
Josh Williams three-pointer, 64-52, and his final triple of the evening with just 2:51 to play gave Robert Morris a 67-58 lead after the Delta Devils had made it a two-possession game.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Colonials held MVSU to a shooting percentage of 32.2 percent (19-for-59), including just 16.7 percent (3-for-18) from beyond the arc. Under ninth-year head coach
Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 116-40 (.744) when holding opponents to under 70 points.
UP NEXT
RMU concludes play in the 2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Stetson Monday, Nov. 19, in DeLand, Fla.
Follow The Colonials: Twitter | Instagram
