Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU men's basketball team opened a four-game homestand Friday at the UPMC Events Center, dropping its third overtime game of the 2020-21 season, 84-78, to Youngstown State. The Colonials, in losing their seventh consecutive game, fall to 3-10 (.231) overall on the season, including 2-8 (.200) in the Horizon League.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Trailing, 71-68, with under three seconds to play, senior guard
Jon Williams sent the game to overtime out of a timeout, drilling a three-pointer from the wing closest to the RMU bench as time expired. The Colonials held a 37-32 lead at the half on the strength of Williams hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer of the first 20 minutes of action, but Youngstown State opened the second stanza on a 13-2 run to grab a 45-39 advantage. The Penguins owned their biggest lead with 12:36 remaining, when Naz Bohannon converted a hook shot to give YSU a 50-41 cushion. RMU chipped away before Williams sent the game to overtime with his fourth three-pointer of the contest.
OVERTIME (A THIRD TIME)
The Colonials have gone to overtime three times in the last six games, dropping each one by an average margin of five points. RMU is 1-5 (.167) this season in contests decided by six points or less, each of which have come during its maiden voyage through the Horizon League. The three overtime games in 2020-21 also match the most in one season under 11th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach
Andrew Toole. The Colonials were 1-2 in overtime in Toole's first season at the helm in 2010-11, including an 85-82 loss at LIU in the championship game of the 2011 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament.
THE DAGGER
Senior forward
AJ Bramah converted a three-point play at the 3:16 mark of overtime to give RMU a 74-73 lead. Naz Bohannon followed by hitting the front end of a one-on-one with 2:56 left to tie the contest. On the ensuing possession, junior
Kahliel Spear suffered a turnover, and after a missed three-pointer from Myles Hunter, Michael Akuchie connected deep thanks to an offensive rebound with just under two minutes to go to give the Penguins a 77-74 advantage. YSU sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 7-for-8 at the stripe in the final 51 seconds.
QUOTABLE
"A very frustrating loss," Toole said. "We battled, we battled, we battled but were not able to make the plays and get the stops. We've got to continue to fight, continue to work and continue to stay together, but it's a challenge for sure. We've got to bounce back tomorrow and try and be a little bit better and a little bit smarter than tonight, but this one hurts."
DOUBLE-DOUBLE (A FIFTH TIME)
Bramah returned to the lineup Friday against the Penguins and led four players in double figures with his fifth double-double of the season and 13th of his career. He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and also added four assists and three steals. Spear also stuffed the stat sheet for the Colonials, reaching double figures for the third time in the last four games with 17 points. He also added five rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks.
QUOTABLE
"The issue that we have is that we can't stop anybody on the defensive end," Toole said. "Our program has been known for its ability to defend and get stops, and we haven't been able to do that all year. Kahliel did a lot of really good things and made a lot of really good plays. We want to have a really balanced offense and make sure the ball is getting to the right people in the right places. We trust that guys can step up and make shots. He was the recipient of that tonight."
UP NEXT
RMU concludes its two-game set with Youngstown State Saturday with a 5:00 p.m. tip at the UPMC Events Center.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
