Loretto, Pa. –The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded a two-game road swing Saturday by dropping its third consecutive game with a 72-69 loss to Saint Francis U at DeGol Arena. The Colonials slip to 13-14 overall and 8-6 in the Northeast Conference.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sophomore forward
Koby Thomas, who returned to action after not playing the last 15 games, picked up his fifth foul of the contest with 23.5 seconds left in regulation and the game tied, 69-69. Keith Braxton hit the back end of his two attempts to give the Red Flash (14-11 / 10-4 NEC) a 70-69 lead. Out of another RMU timeout, senior forward
Malik Petteway was called for an offensive foul, turning the ball over. Jamaal King sealed the win with a pair of free throws with four seconds to play.
QUOTABLE
"I'm proud of my team," Toole said. "Proud of the way they fought back and the plays they made down the stretch. They controlled everything that they could possibly control. Now, we made some blunders and had some errors early, there's no doubt. We fueled them a couple of times by making some bad decisions. But I couldn't be prouder of the fight. That's what it takes. I thought over the last few weeks we haven't had that fight. If we can build on that, we'll see what happens."
KOBY RETURNS
Thomas was inserted into the starting lineup for junior forward
Yannis Mendy and finished with his second double-double of the year and fifth of his career with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. The insertion of Thomas into the starting five snapped RMU's streak of consecutive starting lineups at 26 and marks just the second different starting lineup for the Colonials in 2018-19. Thomas was one of four Colonials to score in double figures against Saint Francis U.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
For the second time in the game, RMU erased a 13-point deficit when senior forward
Malik Petteway converted a three-point play with 5:04 left to tie it, 62-62. The Colonials had trailed, 49-36, at the 13:22 mark of the second half after a layup from Keith Braxton. The Red Flash got a three-pointer from Andre Wolford and a dunk from Mark Flagg to push their lead to 69-64, but Robert Morris made one last charge. Thomas provided a putback dunk and senior guard
Josh Williams hit a runner in the lane to tie the game for the final time, 69-69.
QUOTABLE
"Koby has been practicing better and has been itching to get back out there," Toole said. "I thought he played with activity. We haven't been getting as much production from our forwards, and I thought it was the perfect time to insert him into the lineup."
ERASING DEFICITS
Robert Morris erased a pair of 13-point deficits, one in each half. It marked the third time in the last six games the Colonials have clawed back. RMU has erased 33 double-digit deficits in nine years under head coach
Andrew Toole. On 24 of those occasions have the Colonials earned a victory.
QUOTABLE
"We got back to Robert Morris basketball yesterday in practice," Toole said. "We have to get to it again on Monday and keep building on it. We have to keep guarding people. If we don't guard, we don't win. Everything is pivotal. Tomorrow is pivotal, Monday is pivotal. Every day you get an opportunity to put that jersey on, you're incredibly fortunate, and you have to maximize it. Guys have to start to feel that way and embrace it every day."
UP NEXT
Robert Morris opens its final homestand of the 2018-19 regular season Thursday, Feb. 21, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against LIU Brooklyn at the North Athletic Complex.
Follow The Colonials: Twitter | Instagram
