Teaneck, N.J. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened the second half of its Northeast Conference schedule Saturday with a double overtime loss to Fairleigh Dickinson, 97-94, at Stratis Arena. In dropping their second consecutive three-point decision, the Colonials slip to 12-11 overall and 7-3 in the Northeast Conference.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Senior forward
Malik Petteway gave RMU a 94-93 lead in the second overtime by hitting a pair of free throws with 51 seconds left, but on the ensuing possession for the Knights (11-11 / 6-4 NEC), freshman guard
Cameron Wilbon fouled Xzavier Malone-Key on a three-point attempt. Malone-Key went 2-for-3 at the free-throw line to push FDU back on top, 95-94. Senior guard
Josh Williams followed by driving into the lane, but his layup attempt was blocked by Mike Holloway, Jr.
QUOTABLE
"We didn't guard in the first half," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We want to be something that we're not. Bottom line is we forget who we are. What we are is a defensive-minded team that controls the tempo, and when we go on scoring bursts that's a bonus. But if we pick and choose when we're going to defend, we're going to have trouble winning games moving forward. We have to control our own destiny."
FREE BASKETBALL
The game marked RMU's first double overtime game since Feb. 17, 2007, a 102-97 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn at the Charles L. Sewall Center. RMU's last win when playing two overtimes came Jan. 8, 2000, with an 81-76 victory over LIU Brooklyn.
QUOTABLE
"We have the ball up with 37 seconds left in regulation and we turn the ball over twice," Toole said. "We spend so much time working on the pressure, but we had untimely turnovers. We work our way back in the second half, and we have the ball with 35 seconds and we just can't get the ball over half court. In key moments we didn't do the things in order to win."
BACK IN FORM
Senior guard
Josh Williams scored a game-high 34 points against Fairleigh Dickinson and was one of four Colonials to score in double figures. Williams finished 12-for-25 from the floor, including 7-for-15 from beyond the arc, while going 3-for-4 at the free-throw line. He pushed his season total for three-pointers to 77, which ranks 10th in the RMU single-season record book. Williams also pushed his career NCAA Division I total to 204.
QUOTABLE
"We play 50 minutes of basketball and only get to the free-throw line 18 times," Toole said. "I thought the game was poorly managed by the officials. It was completely inconsistent. It was atrocious. They were passing on calls that are blatant to anybody that watches a basketball game. They go to line and shoot 40 free throws, we shoot 18. Maybe in the first half we didn't deserve to be at the free-throw line, but in the second half we were at the rim non-stop. But it was on us, because we didn't guard."
BIG SHOT
Freshman guard
Dante Treacy stepped up in the first overtime for Robert Morris. Pressed into action at the point since both sophomore guard
Jon Williams and senior guard
Matty McConnell fouled out, Treacy drilled a three-pointer with 17 seconds left in the first overtime to help send the contest to a second round of free basketball.
IN THE MIDDLE
Petteway finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks for the Colonials off the bench, knocking down seven of his eight attempts at the stripe. Sophomore forward
Charles Bain contributed 18 points and seven boards, while McConnell recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris returns home to the North Athletic Complex Thursday, Feb. 7, for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Bryant.
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