Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened a two-game homestand at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center Thursday with a 64-54 victory over Bryant. It marked the only meeting during the 2019-20 regular season between the Colonials and Bulldogs.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sebastian Townes converted a layup with 4:50 to go in the first half that gave Bryant (10-11 / 2-6 NEC) a 17-13 lead. RMU responded with a 13-0 surge to close out the stanza to open up a 26-17 advantage at halftime. Sophomore guard
Jalen Hawkins opened the run by converting a three-point play and scored five points during the salvo, while redshirt senior guard
Josh Williams also scored five points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer.
300
The first triple of the contest for redshirt senior guard
Josh Williams came at the 5:52 mark of the first half and was the 300th three-pointer of his career. Williams garnered game-high scoring honors for Robert Morris (11-11 / 7-2 NEC) by finishing with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including a 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc. Williams has knocked down 304 career three-pointers, including 177 in two years in an RMU uniform.
QUOTABLE
"When we weren't making shots early on and trying to figure out offensively what we needed to do, I was really proud and impressed with the way they continued to defend," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "There's been some times this year if we're not making shots our defensive energy could ebb and flow, but I thought our guys stayed locked in. In the second half, we got enough stops when we needed to and made shots when we needed to."
DOWNTOWN
The 5-for-6 performance for redshirt senior guard
Josh Williams helped the Colonials shoot 43.5 percent (10-for-23) overall from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard
Dante Treacy hit a three-pointer to open the scoring for Robert Morris in the second half, and a triple from junior guard
Jon Williams gave RMU its biggest advantage of the contest, 32-19. Combined, the trio of
Josh Williams,
Jon Williams and Treacy shot 10-for-16 (62.5%) from downtown.
JAMMING JANUARY
Robert Morris improved 19-7 (.731) during the month of January the last three seasons, and overall in 10 seasons under Toole the Colonials are 56-33 (.629) in the first month of a new year.
QUOTABLE
"I feel really good about the team,"
Josh Williams said. "Guys are stepping up, and not only are they stepping up but they're stepping out of their comfort zones. We're doing the little things that we're going to need. Everyone on this team has the ability to shoot. Everybody on this team has the ability to sit down in a stance, but can we get the 50-50 balls? Are we going to scrap out a rebound? Are we going to take a charge?"
THE BULL
Junior forward
AJ Bramah continued his torrid pace and concluded January with his second consecutive double-double and seventh of the season against the Bulldogs. He posted 14 points and 16 rebounds in the win over Bryant, converting five of his 10 shots from the floor while shooting 4-for-7 at the free-throw line. Bramah has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games and was also joined in double figures in the win by Treacy, who scored 10 points while registering four rebounds and four assists.
QUOTABLE
"AJ is the ultimate competitor,"
Jon Williams said. "He's always talking on defense. He doesn't like losing. He works hard and is always crashing, always rebounding. That's what gets him going."
UP NEXT
Robert Morris concludes its homestand at the UPMC Events Center Saturday, Feb. 1, with a 1:00 p.m. tip against Central Connecticut.
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