Staten Island, N.Y. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded its 2018-19 regular season Saturday with a 69-60 victory over Wagner at the Spiro Sports Center. The Colonials conclude the 2018-19 regular season with an overall record of 16-15, including 11-7 in the Northeast Conference.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU shot 60.9 percent (14-for-23) from the field in the second half, erasing an eight-point halftime deficit to pull out the victory. Nigel Jackson would give the Seahawks (13-16 / 8-10 NEC) a 37-32 lead with a layup with 13:53 to play, but the Colonials used a 13-0 surge to jump in front, 45-37. Senior guard
Josh Williams ignited the surge by knocking down three-pointers on consecutive possessions to push Robert Morris in front, while sophomore guard
Jon Williams added one of his own.
QUOTABLE
"We got beat to every loose ball in the first half," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We talked about playing with some more urgency at halftime, and in the second half we did a much better job of doing that.
Jon Williams played at a high, high level tonight. To score 12 points and give out eight assists against zero turnovers with that kind of pressure, he was a huge spark for us tonight."
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
RMU held Wagner to a shooting percentage of 18.5 percent (5-for-27) in the second half, including 1-for-15 (6.7%) from beyond the arc. The Seahawks got the majority of their offensive in the second 20 minutes of action at the free-throw line, converting 21 of their 22 (95.5%) opportunities. Overall Wagner shot 88.9 percent (24-for-27) at the free-throw line.
SURF BOARD
Senior guard
Matty McConnell registered career rebound No. 500 in the second half, and it couldn't have come at a better time. He followed up his own miss from beyond the arc to grab the offensive carom and drove to the rim, converting and getting fouled in the process by Jonathan Norfleet. McConnell converted the three-point play with the free throw to close RMU's deficit to 30-29 early in the second half. McConnell is the 14th student-athlete in program history to eclipse career totals of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
QUOTABLE
"Each guy had their own little spurt," Toole said. "Yannis started the game strong, Josh hits a couple of three-pointers in a row, then Bain hit a couple in a row. Each guy took his turn to get a couple of baskets for us, and that's how we have to play offense. Once we really looked down the floor and trust our teammates, it gave us a way to attack their pressure."
PUTTING IT AWAY
Sophomore forward
Chris Coalmon provided a huge spark for RMU late, converting in the paint with under two and-a-half minutes to go on a feed from
Jon Williams that gave the Colonials their first double-digit lead, 61-50. Coalmon, who finished with four points and three rebounds, helped seal the win with another layup on a feed from
Jon Williams with 1:38 left that gave RMU its biggest advantage, 68-52.
BALANCED OFFENSE
Josh Williams led the Colonials with 14 points and was one of four players to score in double figures. Sophomore guard
Jon Williams contributed 12 points and eight assists in 36 minutes, while junior forward
Yannis Mendy and sophomore forward
Charles Bain each scored 10 points.
Josh Williams tied a career-high with six rebounds to lead RMU, while McConnell chipped in nine points and five boards.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris opens the 2019 Northeast Conference Tournament at the North Athletic Complex Wednesday, March 6. The Colonials, who finished in a tie for third in the league standings, will enter the NEC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and will host No. 5 seed St. Francis Brooklyn at 7:00 p.m.
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