Moon Township, Pa. – Kevin Degnan's three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left lifted Siena to a 74-71 victory over the
Robert Morris University men's basketball team Saturday at the North Athletic Complex. In suffering their first loss at home on the 2018-19 campaign as well as their third straight overall, the Colonials slipped to 4-6.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU fell behind by double digits not once, but twice, roaring back to take the lead both times. The Saints (4-6) had their biggest lead of the contest, 55-37, at the 16:25 mark of the second half after a Sloan Seymour three-pointer and also 16-point cushion, 63-47, with 11:39 left after a Manny Camper layup. Robert Morris used a 22-2 surge to grab a 69-65 lead after junior guard
Sayveon McEwen converted in the paint with a layup with 2:40 to play.
THREE'S COMPANY
The Colonials, who entered the game allowing opponents to shoot just 32.8 percent from deep, allowed Siena to convert 11 of its 25 opportunities (44 percent) from beyond the arc. The Saints averaged 13.0 three-pointers per contest in their three victories entering Saturday's contest.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Senior guard
Matty McConnell gave Robert Morris a 71-69 lead with 1:44 to play after a layup, but Jalen Pickett, who scored a game-high 20 points, answered with a layup of his own to tie the game for the sixth time with 41 seconds left. He was also fouled on the play but failed to hit the free throw, with McConnell coming down with the rebound. Senior guard
Josh Williams drove the lane but was unable to convert, setting up Degnan's game-winning triple.
QUOTABLE
"A completely disappointing performance by us," head coach
Andrew Toole. "For a team that's lost two games in a row, to come out at home with that kind of energy, it just shows a complete lack of respect for the game of basketball. I don't know any other way to explain to people how important it is to understand the scouting report, be able to execute and be detailed in the way you go about your business. We can't do it for long enough yet, so we have to keep working."
TRIPLES CONTINUE
Senior guard
Josh Williams paced the Colonials with 19 points, converting six of his 13 shots from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while going 4-for-7 at the free-throw line. He has hit at least two three-pointers in eight consecutive games, one off the school record of nine that was set by former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14) during the 2012-13 campaign.
SPARK PLUG
Seeing the most significant action of the 2018-19 season, junior guard
Sayveon McEwen was a sparkplug off the bench for the Colonials, finishing with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and finishing with a plus/minus of +3. All eight of his points came in the second half as RMU erased an 18-point deficit, the largest erased in nine seasons under head coach
Andrew Toole. The Colonials also fell behind by 11 in the first half, only to come back and grab the lead before trailing at halftime, 38-32.
QUOTABLE
"I'm more interested in the character of guys when the score is 0-0," Toole said. "True character is guys that show up ready, willing and able as soon as the game starts. Not when you're down 18 points. Until some of that comes from within the team, we're not going to win games."
KNOCK THEM DOWN, REBOUND
Robert Morris shot a season-high 56.3 percent (27-for-48) from the field and also outrebounded Siena, 28-26. It marked the first time the Colonials were positive in rebounding since a 68-59 win over Mississippi Valley State (11/17/18).
UP NEXT
RMU has a week off due to finals and returns to the court Saturday, Dec. 15, with a 3:00 p.m. tip in Lawrenceville, N.J., against Rider. It marks the final tilt of three consecutive games against opponents from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
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