INDIANAPOLIS — Robert Morris (11-8, 3-5 HL) fell to IU Indy (5-15, 1-8 HL) 96-93 in overtime on Thursday night at The Jungle.
 
Ryan Prather Jr. added 21 points, including five 3-pointers. DeSean Goode scored 20 points and collected eight rebounds. Albert Vargas contributed 14 points and dished out six assists. Darius Livingston made three 3-pointers, finishing with nine points. Ta'Zir Smith tied his career-high with 13 points.
 
IUI's Jaxon Edwards delivered a standout performance, scoring 25 points and securing 11 rebounds, while converting 13 of 15 free throws. Kyler D'Augustino led the game with 28 points, adding six assists and two steals to his tally. Micah Davis contributed 13 points and recorded two steals. Finley Woodward made an impact with four steals and five assists. Aiden Miller hit four from beyond the arc, finishing with 12 points.
 
1st HALF
Robert Morris opened the game with an explosive start, quickly building a 10-point cushion. The early momentum was capped off by a Livingston 3-pointer at the 16:26 mark, which pushed the RMU lead to 15-5. However, the double-digit advantage was short-lived as IU Indy responded with a 12-0 run over the next two minutes. This scoring surge allowed IU Indy to erase the deficit and momentarily seize a 17-15 lead.
 
As the period progressed toward the midway point, the game transitioned into a tight, back-and-forth affair featuring two ties and two lead changes. A layup by Goode eventually leveled the score at 23-23, reflecting the narrow margin between the two squads. From that point on, the contest remained a two-possession game for the duration of the half. RMU ultimately managed to head into the locker room with a slim advantage after
Smith knocked down a pair of free throws to close out the scoring, leaving the score 41-38 in favor of the Colonials.
 
2nd HALF
The second half began much like the first, with Robert Morris orchestrating a dominant 11-2 opening run. This surge gave the Colonials their largest lead of the night at 52-40. After RMU maintained a ten-point cushion at 64-54, the Jaguars ignited for 11 unanswered points, storming back to reclaim a 65-64 lead with 7:32 remaining on the clock.
 
The final minutes of regulation turned into a high-stakes shootout. RMU briefly went back in front following an Vargas 3-pointer, but the game was knotted again at 67-67 just a minute later. While the Colonials managed to rebuild a five-point advantage with under four minutes to play, Jaxon Edwards took over for the Jaguars, sinking six consecutive free throws to put IU Indy ahead 77-76. The lead continued to swing as Vargas hit a jumper and Goode added a free throw to put RMU up by two, only for Edwards to tie it once more at the charity stripe with less than a minute remaining.
 
In the frantic closing seconds, Goode gave RMU the edge with a layup to make it 81-79 at the 34-second mark. However, Kyler D'Augustino answered with a clutch jumper with 17 seconds left to tie the game at 81-81. With one final chance to win in regulation, Vargas launched a jumper at the buzzer, but it failed to fall, sending the contest into overtime.
 
OVERTIME
The frame began with a basket by Nikolaos Chitikoudis that knotted the score at 84-84, but IU Indy quickly seized the momentum by scoring the next four points to take a two-possession lead. Robert Morris fought back as Smith buried a clutch 3-pointer to bring the Colonials within a single point, 88-87, with 1:47 remaining on the clock. However, the Colonials would miss their next four shots and IUI would make five free throws down the stretch of the game as IU Indy held on for the victory.
 
HEAD COACH ANDY TOOLE
"We had a 10-point lead to start the game, a 12-point lead with 17 minutes to go in the second half, just unable to sustain our effort, just unable to defend the ball without fouling. We'll watch the film and we'll try to continue to fight and figure something out."
 
UP NEXT
The Colonials remain on the road at Northern Kentucky on Saturday, January 17. RMU returns to the UPMC Events Center on Thursday, January 22 against Milwaukee.
 
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