Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened the 2019 Northeast Conference Tournament Wednesday with a 69-65 victory over No. 5 seed St. Francis Brooklyn at the North Athletic Complex. The Colonials secured their first winning season since 2014-15, improving to 17-15 overall in 2018-19.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Trailing, 55-45, with 4:08 to play, RMU used an 11-1 run to close out regulation to tie it, 56-56, and send the game to overtime. Senior guard
Matty McConnell connected from deep with 58 seconds left in the second half to pull Robert Morris to within one, 55-54. Rosel Hurley followed by going 1-for-2 at the free-throw line for the Terriers (17-15) before McConnell came through again, driving the left side of the lane and converting to tie it, 56-56, with 15 seconds to go. St. Francis Brooklyn had one last chance, but a layup attempt from Glenn Sanabria with six seconds to go was blocked by senior forward
Malik Petteway.
FREE BASKETBALL
The Colonials never trailed in the extra frame, getting a layup from Petteway and a pair of free throws from McConnell to grab a 60-56 advantage just a minute gone into overtime. Robert Morris held its biggest advantage, 64-59, after another pair of free throws from McConnell before Jalen Jordan connected from beyond the arc for St. Francis Brooklyn. RMU finished 9-for-12 (75%) at the stripe in overtime.
QUOTABLE
"We had incredible efforts from a number of guys," head coach
Andrew Toole. "It was really an incredible comeback. Tribute to our defense in the second half, holding them to 19 points. We just didn't give up. Our guys rallied each other and continued to stay positive, and that's why I think things turned in our favor."
PERFECT LINE
Senior guard
Matty McConnell tied for game-high honors in scoring with 21 points. He shot 10-for-10 at the free-throw line, becoming the first member of the Colonials to go perfect at the stripe in an NEC Tournament tilt since former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14) went 12-for-12 at the chalk in a 60-57 win over Saint Francis U in the semifinals of the 2014 NEC Tournament.
CARDIAC COLONIALS STRIKE AGAIN
Robert Morris erased a 15-point halftime deficit in securing the win, as St. Francis Brooklyn shot 53.6 percent (15-for-28) from the field in the first 20 minutes of action, including 5-for-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc. The Colonials have erased a double-digit deficit in eight of their last 10 games dating back to the beginning of February. Overall under ninth-year head coach
Andrew Toole, RMU has erased 36 double-digit deficits, winning 27.
WARMING UP
Senior guard
Josh Williams scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and overtime while tying a career high for the second consecutive game with six rebounds. He also added three assists and a steal. Williams shot 8-for-18 from the floor, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc, and knocked down both of his attempts at the free-throw line.
QUOTABLE
"We obviously didn't have a good first half, and I told our guys I didn't want to go out like this," senior guard
Matty McConnell said. "(My teammates) had my back. We rallied in the second half. Credit to them for all the fight that they gave."
SECURING A WINNING SEASON
Thanks to the victory, Robert Morris secured its first winning season since 2014-15 and sixth in nine seasons under Toole. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign, the Colonials have won 240 games over the last 12 years, an average of 20 per season.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris, which is making its 11th appearance in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament in the last 12 years, travels to Teaneck, N.J., Saturday, March 9, to take on No. 2 seed Fairleigh Dickinson at Stratis Arena. Tip time is Noon and the game can be seen live on ESPN3.
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