Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team returned to action in the Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) Invitational Friday with an 85-65 win over Howard at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Charles Williams, who finished with a game-high 26 points for the Bison, was sent to the free-throw line with 12:05 left in the first half after a foul from guard
Jalen Hawkins. Williams knocked down the first of his two attempts to give Howard a 14-12 advantage, but Hawkins atoned for his foul with a three-pointer to put the Colonials in front, 15-14. The triple ignited a 20-6 surge for RMU (1-3) that opened up a 32-18 advantage. It was a balanced attack offensively during the run, as guard
Dante Treacy scored six points, while Hawkins and guard
Sayveon McEwen each scored five.
THE FRONT LINE
Forward
Yannis Mendy has stepped up for Robert Morris in the early going of the 2019-20 campaign, and he continued his strong start against Howard (0-4). Mendy converted each of his first six shots from the floor in the contest and finished 7-for-8, tying a season and career high with 14 points. He tied with team-high honors in scoring with guard
Josh Williams. Mendy is shooting a white hot .719 (23-for-32) from the field through four games.
QUOTABLE
"A nice performance," Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "We have to learn how to play with a lead. Our defensive urgency could've been a little bit better, especially in the second half, but that's part of the learning process. Offensively, we have to score by committee, stay locked in and find the best shot to knock down. We did that today for a nice first win."
BALANCED ATTACK
The Colonials had five players reach double figures in scoring, as in addition to Mendy and Williams, guard
Dante Treacy established a career high with 13 points. Off the bench, forwards
Charles Bain and
DJ Russell each scored 10 points as the Robert Morris front court combined to shoot .581 (18-for-31) in the victory over the Bison. It was the first double-figure scoring effort of the season for Bain and the first in an RMU uniform for Russell. In addition, the Colonials got a boost from guard Savyeon McEwen, who scored nine points.
QUOTABLE
"Sayveon came out, was aggressive and knocked down some big shots for us in the first half," Toole said. "We know he has the ability to shoot. That's one of the reasons we brought him here. It was nice to see some of the work he's put in pay off."
NET NEUTRALITY
Robert Morris improved to 8-2 (.800) in 10 seasons under Toole when playing on a neutral court. The win over the Bison marked the sixth consecutive win during the regular season for the Colonials on a neutral court dating back to the 2012-13 season.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris returns to Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, to conclude the 2019 Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational, taking on the host Rockets Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
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