Smithfield, R.I. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team continued a four-game road trip Saturday with a 79-65 victory over Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center. In evening their overall record in 2018-19 at 9-9 (.500), the Colonials improved to 4-1 in the Northeast Conference and took over sole possession of first place.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU grabbed its biggest lead, 57-36, with exactly 12 minutes to go after senior forward
Malik Petteway converted a pair of free throws. The Bulldogs (5-11 / 2-3 NEC) didn't wilt, trimming their deficit to 69-60 with 2:57 left after a three-point play by Nino Hernandez. Robert Morris responded with an 8-0 surge to grab a 77-60 advantage. Petteway was the main force on both ends of the floor, providing a three-point play with a dunk and then blocking a shot on the other end of the floor.
QUOTABLE
"I thought in the first half we did a really nice job defending and managing the game," head coach
Andrew Toole. "They really turned up their intensity level in the second half, and I like how we were able to keep our poise. We continued to guard in the second half, too. We got stops when we needed them late in the game."
STUFFING THE STAT SHEET
Senior guard
Matty McConnell finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal in just over 30 minutes of action. He converted five of his nine shots from the field and was one of eight Colonials to attempt between three and nine shots from the floor. McConnell consistently found junior forward
Yannis Mendy in the paint, who finished with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bryant grabbed its only lead, 9-8, at the 15:03 mark of the first half thanks to a three-pointer from Adam Grant, but the Colonials scored the next eight points of the game to grab a 16-9 edge. Petteway came off the bench during the spurt and scored six points. RMU eventually grabbed its first double-digit lead, 30-20, after a three-pointer from sophomore forward
Chris Coalmon, and the biggest lead of the first stanza came with 3:08 to go after a jumper from junior guard
Sayveon McEwen.
TURNOVERS, PAINT
Robert Morris held a 32-24 advantage in points in the paint while also outscoring Bryant, 26-13, in points off turnovers. The Colonials tied a season high in steals with 13 as Petteway led the way with four thefts. On the game the senior forward from Waterbury, Conn., also contributed 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Petteway has reached double figures in scoring in seven consecutive games.
QUOTABLE
"Malik is such a playmaker," Toole said. "Whether it's finishing around the rim, being disruptive defensively, whether it's rebounding the ball. He can just do so much. He was just everywhere down the stretch, creating that steal and three-point play, then creating another steal and grabbing rebounds. Really proud of his performance as well as all of our forwards."
DOWNTOWN
Senior guard
Josh Williams paced RMU with 15 points on the strength of a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. He also added two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Williams also helped keep Bryant leading scorer Adam Grant in check. Despite a game-high 17 points, Grant took 18 shots from the field, converting just five. He also turned the ball over four times.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Robert Morris improved to 8-1 (.889) all-time against Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center as well as 15-4 (.789) overall in the all-time series.
UP NEXT
The Colonials conclude their road swing with a 3:30 p.m. tip Monday, Jan. 21, against Central Connecticut at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Conn.
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