Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball shot 57.1 percent (28-for-49) from the field en route to an 86-66 victory over LIU in the 2020 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament semifinals Saturday at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials, who improved to 19-14 (.576) in 2019-20, will host Saint Francis U Tuesday, March 10, in a 7:00 p.m. tip for the 2020 NEC Tournament championship.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
LIU won the opening tip, but sophomore guard
Dante Treacy pilfered the ball from Jack Ballantyne and fed junior forward
AJ Bramah for a driving layup for the opening points of the contest. Robert Morris opened the game on a 16-2 run as Bramah scored eight points, while redshirt senior guard
Josh Williams added five. RMU ended shot 60 percent (18-for-30) from the field in the first half and received a balanced offensive attack, as four different Colonials scored eight points in the opening 20 minutes of action. In addition to eight in the opening flurry from Bramah, Treacy, Williams and senior guard
Sayveon McEwen chipped in.
QUOTABLE
"We got off to a great start," RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole said. "It was a great, energizing stretch for us. It was really our defense that carried us. Holding them to two points in the first five minutes, for a team that averages 77 a game, I think is a tribute to the way our guys were moving their feet. We were able to ride that start to the victory. Happy for these guys and proud of the way they prepared themselves and performed tonight."
BALANCING ACT
Sophomore guard
Jalen Hawkins came off the bench and supplied 13 points and tied career highs in both rebounds (7) and assists (3) in 23 minutes of work. It was the most points he scored against an NEC foe in 2019-20 and his highest output since a career-high 17 points @ Youngstown State (12/4/19). His performance was emblematic of the balance RMU received in the win over LIU, as six different Colonials converted at least three field goals, while seven of the eight student-athletes in the rotation finished with at least four rebounds.
SETTLING DOWN
Owning a 43-28 advantage heading into the second half, the Sharks (15-18) scored the first seven points of the stanza to close their deficit to 43-35. Ty Flowers converted in the paint, Jermaine Jackson, Jr., hit a driving layup and Julian Batts connected from beyond the arc.
Josh Williams helped steady the ship for the Colonials, as his triple at the 17:12 mark of the second half marked the first points for RMU after halftime and spurred on a 10-2 surge to give Robert Morris a 53-37 edge.
QUOTABLE
"While the game is going on it's hard to huddle up at certain times, so sometimes you have to step up and make a play to bring guys back together,"
Josh Williams said. "After I hit the three I did look at the bench and I said 'calm down, let's relax' because we're still in the lead and we can get it back up to where we want to be."
THE BULL(DOZER)
Bramah led five players in double figures for Robert Morris with 18 points while also grabbing five rebounds, recording a steal and posting two blocks.
Josh Williams contributed 15 points, three assists and a pair of steals, while Treacy chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals before fouling out. Junior guard
Jon Williams added 11 points on the strength of an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line while adding three dimes. The Sharks were led by Julian Batts, a native of Jeanette, Pa., who finished with a game-high 23 points while also recording five rebounds, two assists and four steals.
UP NEXT
Tickets are
on sale now for the 2020 NEC Tournament final, which marks the first time Robert Morris and Saint Francis U will square off with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line.
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