DeLand, Fla. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team completed play in the 2018 National Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Monday with an 81-72 victory over Stetson at the Edmunds Center to stretch its winning streak to three.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Marques Sumner gave the host Hatters a 30-22 lead with 5:51 left in the first half after a fastbreak layup before Robert Morris used a 13-4 run to grab its first lead of the game, 35-34. Senior forward
Malik Petteway ignited the surge with a three-point play thanks to a layup and free throw, and his jumper capped the run to give the Colonials their first lead, 35-34. Stetson came back to tie, 36-36, but Petteway's layup at the buzzer on a feed from sophomore forward
Koby Thomas gave RMU a 38-36 lead at the break.
BALANCED OFFENSE
Robert Morris shot a season-high 54.2 percent (26-for-48) from the field and had four Colonials score in double figures. Senior guard
Josh Williams scored a game-high 18 points, while Petteway scored 17 off the bench. Also off the bench, Thomas recorded 16 points, a game-high seven boards and three assists. Senior guard
Matty McConnell added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
QUOTABLE
"I thought it was really good performance by us for a large portion of the game just in terms of sticking with what we needed to do to win," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "Guys really rallied together and we had really good energy. The ball was moving freely and guys were making plays. We were down eight in the first half, and we elevated our intensity."
FREE IS FOR ME
RMU, which entered the game leading the Northeast Conference in free-throw percentage, continued to take advantage of its trips to the stripe. The Colonials finished 19-for-24 (79.2%) at the free-throw line against the Hatters, including a 6-for-6 performance by sophomore guard
Jon Williams.
HOMECOMING
Freshman guard
Dante Treacy, who hails from just an hour away in Orlando, Fla., played 15 minutes and calmly directed the offense, dishing out two assists while going 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. He had a large section in the stands rooting him on throughout the game.
QUOTABLE
"There was a lot of contributions from a lot of guys, some of which will show up on the scoresheet and some won't, but it was nice to see everybody contribute to the win," Toole said. "Matty hit those three three's in the second half that were really timely. He shot them in rhythm. When he's ready for those and he's in rhythm, we know he can hit those at a high clip."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Robert Morris grabbed its first double-digit lead, 51-41, with 16:47 to play by opening the second half on a 13-5 surge. Thomas capped it with a three-point play.
Josh Williams would give the Colonials their biggest lead, 73-60, with 4:53 to go after knocking down his fifth three-pointer of the contest.
TOURNAMENT TIDBIT
Petteway finished the tournament leading Robert Morris in scoring at 13.5 points per game. He shot 73.3 percent (22-for-30) from the field in the four games as well as 90.9 percent (10-for-11) at the free-throw line.
UP NEXT
The Colonials conclude a two-game road trip with a 2:00 p.m. tip at Purdue Friday, Nov. 23.
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