Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded a three-game road trip Saturday by picking up its first road victory of the 2019-20 campaign with a 64-58 win over Florida Gulf Coast at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Tied, 58-58, with just over a minute to go, Caleb Gatto fouled
Josh Williams on a drive to the basket. Williams knocked down both to put RMU (3-8) in front, 60-58. On the ensuing possession for the Eagles,
Dante Treacy came up with a steal for the Colonials. On the fastbreak he fed Williams, who again was fouled by Gatto. Williams hit the back end of his two possessions to give Robert Morris a 61-58 edge.
QUOTABLE
"We talked in the pregame that both teams were desperate for a win," Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "Down the stretch we came up with some big stops. That's what it takes, everybody connected and everybody committed. We're trying to build some more urgency with our guys. For the majority of the game tonight our guys were in that mindset. That's an important step in the right direction."
FINISHING STRONG
The last field goal of the contest for Robert Morris came with two and-a-half minutes to go, when guard
Dante Treacy, a native of Orlando, Fla., hit a jumper to give the Colonials a 58-56 advantage. RMU closed the game 7-for-12 at the free-throw line to seal the victory, as four different Colonials connected at the stripe.
Josh Williams paced Robert Morris in the win with 16 points while also registering six rebounds and three assists. He shot 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-4 from international waters, and 3-for-4 at the chalk.
PRESERVATIVES
RMU continues to get solid production from its bench, with
AJ Bramah,
Jalen Hawkins and
Sayveon McEwen combining for 30 points and 13 rebounds. Bramah finished with 12 points and eight caroms, while Hawkins added 12 points and five boards. McEwen, meanwhile, finished 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and is shooting 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from deep this season.
QUOTABLE
"It wasn't always pretty or perfect, but when you leave the gym and you win by one point, you feel pretty good about the preparation and the effort you put forth as a team," Toole said. "We had a number of guys that stepped up on both ends of the court tonight. Sayveon was big for us in the first half, and he's finding ways to contribute defensively by taking another charge. We need the bench guys to continue to grow for us, because that's only going to make us a better team."
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Colonials have won 19 consecutive games when holding their opponent to under 60 points dating to the 2016-17 campaign thanks to the win over Florida Gulf Coast. In 10 seasons under
Andrew Toole, RMU is 66-7 (.904) when turning the trick.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris will return to Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center Tuesday, Dec. 17, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Central Michigan. It marks the final non-conference home game of the 2019-20 season.
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