Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team extended its winning streak to a season-high five games Saturday with a 61-58 victory over Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. The Colonials improved to 14-11 overall on the 2019-20 campaign, including 10-2 in the Northeast Conference.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Junior forward Charles Bain gave the Colonials a 55-46 lead with a layup off a feed from junior guard Jon Williams with 2:33 to go, but Sacred Heart (14-11 / 7-5 NEC) used a 7-0 spurt to close to within 55-53 with just 41 seconds left. Junior forward AJ Bramah was fouled out of a timeout by the Pioneers, and he hit both to give RMU a 57-53 edge. On the next possession for SHU, Koreem Ozier lost the ball, with Bain coming up with the steal and slam dunk to give Robert Morris a 59-53 advantage.
 
QUOTABLE
"Sacred Heart is a talented team that is extremely balanced," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole. "They did a good job getting to the line and made some three's late. We were able to make enough free throws and manage the game down the stretch to walk out of here with a win. One of the best possessions we had was the layup Charles Bain hit late. We just have to execute possession by possession, both on the offensive and defensive ends. That was a Northeast Conference Tournament type of game."
 
FORWARD MOTION
RMU's starting frontcourt of Bain and senior Yannis Mendy combined for 28 points in the victory over the Pioneers, converting 12 of their 17 attempts (70.6%) from the field. Bain led the Colonials with a season-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc. He also grabbed four rebounds. Mendy, meanwhile, contributed 12 points on a 6-for-7 shooting night.
 
QUOTABLE
"The job Charles Bain did on E.J. Anosike, allowing him to get just one offensive rebound, was great work," Toole said. "So as well as he played offensively, he really stepped up on the defensive end. I thought one of the best things our guys did throughout the game was moving their feet. They were relentless in their effort. It really was a great defensive performance."
 
2020
Bramah became the fifth student-athlete in program history to score in double figures in 20 consecutive games by finishing with 14 points and four rebounds off the bench. He converted six of his 16 attempts from the field and went 2-for-4 at the free-throw line. Bramah joined former guards Maurice Carter (40), Rodney Pryor (30) and Myron Walker (26), as well as former forward Gabe Jackson (20), to score in double figures in 20 consecutive contests.
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Robert Morris improved to 7-1 (.875) on the 2019-20 campaign when holding opponents under 60 points and in 10 seasons under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 72-8 (.900) when turning the trick. Against NEC foes, RMU is allowing an average of 61.1 points per game.
 
UP NEXT
The Colonials conclude a three-game road trip Thursday, Feb. 13, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Mount St. Mary's at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Md.

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