Dublin, Ireland – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded its first foreign trip in program history Thursday with a 96-84 victory over Killester Basketball Club at the Oblate Hall. Thanks to the victory, the Colonials concluded the exhibition tour with a perfect 3-0 record.
Spending three nights in Kinsale and three nights in Galway, RMU concluded its trip in Dublin, the capital and largest city in Ireland. Robert Morris had the opportunity to visit the Book of Kells and the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin, tour the Guinness Storehouse and visit Croke Park.
Croke Park, also known as Croker, serves as both the principal stadium and headquarters for the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It hosts Gaelic games, including Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.
Against Killester, the Colonials traded baskets in the early going before Robert Morris grabbed a 30-20 advantage after the first quarter. Sophomore forward
Koby Thomas led the way with eight points in the first stanza and finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the first half as RMU led at the break, 44-36.
Killester made a charge in the second half, twice closing its deficit to five on two occasions before the Colonials used a 17-4 run to open up a 72-54 advantage at the end of three quarters. Senior guard
Matty McConnell scored nine points during the frame, including a dunk, while Thomas contributed eight.
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Thomas caught fire early in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of RMU's first 15 points to help seal the victory. He notched a double-double in the win with 31 points and 11 rebounds and finished the three-game exhibition tour with averages of 25.3 points and 7.0 rebounds. Of his 11 caroms against Killester, five came on the offense glass.
"It was a great, physical game," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "It was a great atmosphere. We had some foul trouble, some adversity, and it was great to experience a game like that in August where possessions really mattered and decisions were critical."
McConnell scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and also registered six rebounds and three steals, while senior guard
Josh Williams registered 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two thefts. Also reaching double figures for the Colonials was sophomore forward
Chris Coalmon, who compiled 10 points and four caroms.
In each of the three games, Robert Morris had at least four student-athletes reach double figures in scoring in posting a scoring offense of 101.7 points per contest.
"From a basketball perspective, you got to see
Josh Williams finally in game play, you got to see
Sayveon McEwen and
Cameron Wilbon play," Toole said. "It's awesome. I think this trip will help us with growth as a program."
Their first foreign tour complete, the Colonials return stateside Friday.
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