Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded a two-game homestand at the North Athletic Complex Saturday with a 77-68 loss to Central Connecticut. The Colonials slip to 13-12 overall on the 2018-19 season and have dropped three of four while dipping to 8-4 in the Northeast Conference.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Tied, 57-57, with six and-a-half minutes to play, the Blue Devils (11-14 / 5-7 NEC) used an 8-0 surge to take control. Jamir Coleman converted in the paint to give CCSU the lead for good, while Ian Krishnan and Joe Hugley each connected from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward
Charles Bain answered Hugley's triple with one of his own, but RMU couldn't get any closer.
INTERESTING
Central Connecticut has won three of the last four games in which Robert Morris has served as the home team. In addition to tonight's win at the North Athletic Complex, the Blue Devils defeated the Colonials last season, 65-58, at the A.J. Palumbo Center (2/17/18) in RMU's regular-season home finale, while CCSU also earned a 65-60 win over Robert Morris at the Charles L. Sewall Center (2/4/16).
QUOTABLE
"At this point in the year everything is mental," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We have guys at times that are taking breaks, or relaxing or not communicating well enough. All mental things vs. the physical piece. The teams that can do it at this point in the year are usually the teams that are competing for a championship. We've got to figure out a way to refresh our minds and fight through any fatigue so we can get back to defending the way we need to."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU fell behind early before grabbing an 8-5 lead at the 11:22 mark of the first half after a layup in the paint from senior forward
Malik Petteway, but Tyler Kohl scored six consecutive points to push the Blue Devils back in front, 11-10. Central Connecticut owned a seven-point lead in the first half, with the Colonials staying close thanks to freshman guard
Dante Treacy. He scored eight points in the first 20 minutes of action and finished with career highs in both points (10) and assists (5).
KNOCKING THEM DOWN
CCSU shot 65.2 percent (15-for-23) from the field in the second half en route to the win. Hugley scored 13 of his 15 points after the break, while the Blue Devils were led by Kohl, who finished with a game-high 23 points and also added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
QUOTABLE
"I think sometimes getting down on yourself isn't the worst thing in the world," Toole said. "If you're serious about this and want to compete for a championship you should be down on yourself. I thought guys were picking and choosing effort at times. Just running the floor we were sluggish in everything. What I said to them afterward was 'Do you understand how important or how valuable the opportunities you have are?' We try to make sure guys leave here without regret. Some of these mistakes we've made over the last two weeks, if you care about this it will keep you up at night. Until guys really live that every day, you jeopardize what you have."
RESERVE CLAUSE
In addition to the 10 points from Treacy, Petteway paced the Colonials with 16 points off the bench. He shot 5-for-7 from the field and 6-for-8 at the free-throw line. He also led RMU with seven rebounds and added a block. Senior guard
Josh Williams scored 12 points, while Bain contributed 10.
QUOTABLE
"They always say experience is the greatest teacher, and unfortunately when you don't prepare yourself like crazy, you get some bad experiences," Toole said.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris takes to the road for its next two games, beginning Thursday, Feb. 14, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Mount St. Mary's at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Md.
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