Fairfield, Conn. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened its final road trip of the 2018-19 regular season Thursday with an 87-63 loss to Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center. In slipping back to .500 overall on the 2018-19 campaign at 15-15, the Colonials fell to 10-7 in the Northeast Conference.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Pioneers jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the contest and never looked back, grabbing their first double-digit lead, 12-2, at the 16:46 mark of the first half after a three-pointer from E.J. Anosike. RMU didn't convert its first field goal of the contest until freshman guard
Dante Treacy converted a layup with 14:18 to go in the first half. The Colonials faced a double-digit deficit in seven of their eight games in February.
SHOOTER
Sacred Heart shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field in the first half, as the main offensive force was Sean Hoehn. He knocked down seven of his nine shots from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of play and scored 17 points. In the previous meeting between the two programs at the North Athletic Complex earlier in the season, Hoehn finished the game with 11 points and was held to a 2-for-10 shooting performance from the floor. Hoehn was one of four student-athletes to score in double figures for SHU with a game-high 31 points.
SHOOTING STRUGGLES
Senior guards
Matty McConnell and
Josh Williams combined for just seven points in the contest, combining to shoot 3-for-18 from the field. Williams scored his lone basket of the game with 8:26 left to play.
THE MAGIC NUMBER
Robert Morris owns a record of 14-2 (.875) this season when holding opponents to less than 70 points. When opponents score 70 or more points, the Colonials own a record of 1-13 (.071).
CONVERTING
Despite shooting just 29 percent (9-for-31) from the field in the first half, RMU rebounded to finish at 44.6 percent (25-for-56) overall on the game. The Colonials knocked down 16 of their 25 attempts (64%) from the floor after halftime, with Sacred Heart shooting the exact same percentage in the second half. Sophomore forward
Charles Bain led Robert Morris with 17 points and four rebounds. He finished 6-for-10 shooting from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and knocked down his only two attempts at the free-throw line.
MENDY IN THE MIDDLE
Junior forward
Yannis Mendy scored eight of his 10 points in the second half and finished 4-for-4 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard
Jon Williams also scored in double figures with 12 points while registering two rebounds and two assists.
UP NEXT
The Colonials conclude their 2018-19 regular season Saturday, March 2, with a 4:00 p.m. tip against Wagner at the Spiro Sports Center on Staten Island, N.Y.
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