Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded a two-game swing through New England to open Northeast Conference play Saturday with a 69-58 victory over Merrimack Saturday at Hammel Court in North Andover, Mass.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Tied, 30-30, Idris Joyner gave the Warriors a 31-30 advantage by hitting the first of a pair of opportunities at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard
Dante Treacy knocked down a jumper on RMU's next possession, which ignited a 16-6 run to open up a 46-37 lead for the Colonials. Five different player scored for Robert Morris (6-9 / 2-0 NEC) during the run, including five from redshirt senior guard
Josh Williams.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Colonials have won 20 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 60 points dating back to the 2016-17 campaign. RMU is 2-0 when turning the trick in 2019-20. In the win over Merrimack (7-8 / 1-1 NEC), Robert Morris held the Warriors to a shooting percentage of 31.3 percent (5-for-16) from beyond the arc, the ninth time an opponent has shot less than 33 percent from deep this season.
QUOTABLE
"It takes you a little while to figure out their zone because they get you off the line so quickly," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "We did a much better job in the second half playing the game at our pace. I really thought Dante got us going by generating some energy, and our guys all fed off that. We were able to get into the paint and penetrate at the rim and, most importantly, impose our will in the second half. By making them uncomfortable and speeding them up, I really thought that galvanized us offensively."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED PART DEUX
RMU owned a 53-40 lead with 10:35 to go after a dunk from junior forward
AJ Bramah, who was fed by junior guard
Jon Williams after a steal. However, the Colonials went over seven minutes without a field goal and watched as the Warriors closed to within 55-50 after a Joyner layup. Robert Morris weathered the storm, with Bramah providing a layup to snap the field goal drought, while
Josh Williams connected for a three-pointer with 2:15 remaining to give the Colonials a 62-53 cushion.
ON A ROLL
Josh Williams paced Robert Morris with 17 points in the victory, the fifth consecutive game he's scored in double figures. He finished 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal. In the last five games, a stretch in which the Colonials are 4-1, Williams is averaging 18.8 points per game and is shooting 57.9 percent (22-for-38) from deep.
GOOD START
Robert Morris is 2-0 in the Northeast Conference for the third consecutive year as well as fifth time in 10 years under Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole after road wins over Central Connecticut and Merrimack.
QUOTABLE
"We're fortunate to be able to get out of a two-game road trip with two wins," Toole said. "It's never easy to win a Division I game, especially on the road and especially in the conference. We'll get back home and work hard with some big home games coming up."
FIVE AGAINST ONE
For the second consecutive game five Colonials scored in double figures. In addition to the 17 points from
Josh Williams, off the bench Bramah finished with 16 and sophomore guard
Jalen Hawkins scored 10. Bramah grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while converting six of his 10 shots from the field. Senior forward
Yannis Mendy and sophomore guard
Dante Treacy each scored 10 points.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris, which has hosted just three home games at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center through the first half of the season, opens a four-game homestand at the new facility Thursday, Jan. 9, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against St. Francis Brooklyn.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Snapchat | YouTube
