HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Ryan Prather Jr. scored the go-ahead basket with 1:08 remaining in overtime and Darius Livingston converted a pair of clutch free throws with 10.1 seconds left to lift Robert Morris (12-8, 4-5 HL) to a 92-89 victory over Northern Kentucky (14-7, 6-4 HL) on Saturday night at Truist Arena.
 
Prather led the Colonials with 23 points, including four 3-pointers. This marks the third straight game he has scored 20 points, and he tied his career-best by making nine field goals. DeSean Goode had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kaleb Brown added 14 points while also recording two steals. Nikolaos Chitikoudis scored 14 points while collecting 11 boards and converting six free throws. This performance also marked Chitikoudis' sixth double-double of the season.
 
Donovan Oday led the Norse with a standout performance, scoring 38 points, including four 3-pointers, and converting 12 of 16 free throws. Dan Gherezgher contributed 15 points and added seven rebounds while tallying two steals. LJ Wells posted 18 points, making eight of 12 free throw attempts, and secured eight rebounds. Tae Dozier had a strong defensive showing with four blocks, five assists, and six rebounds.
  
1st HALF
The first half began as a back-and-forth contest, remaining a one-possession game for the first 14 minutes. During this stretch, the teams combined for three ties and nine lead changes until a Livingston three-pointer at 6:34 moved the score to 24-19 in favor of the Colonials.
 
With Robert Morris leading 24-22 later in the half, they executed a 13-3 run over a three-minute span. This scoring burst ended with a Prather three-pointer at 2:27, extending the RMU lead to 37-25. Northern Kentucky narrowed the gap in the final minutes, and Ethan Elliott closed the half for the Norse by hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the score 41-34.
 
2nd HALF
The second half shifted momentum when NKU answered a 48-41 deficit with a 13-3 run. Oday scored eight points during this stretch to give the Norse a 54-51 lead. Robert Morris regained the advantage at the midway point following a Ta'Zir Smith three-pointer that made the score 58-56.
 
The Colonials maintained that lead until 4:49 remained, when two Oday free throws put Northern Kentucky ahead 68-66. Inside the final minute, with RMU leading 77-75, Goode and Gherezgher exchanged baskets. Following a Robert Morris timeout with 40.4 seconds left, Brown made two free throws at the 25.5-second mark to increase the lead to 81-77.
 
On the next possession, Wells made 1-of-2 free throws to bring the score to 81-78 with 19 seconds remaining. The Colonials secured the rebound, but NKU forced a turnover with 12 seconds left. Oday then hit a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds on the clock to tie the game. Prather's three-pointer at the buzzer did not fall, sending the game into overtime.
 
OVERTIME
In overtime, Oday opened the scoring with a layup to give Northern Kentucky an 83-81 lead. The Colonials responded with a Chitikoudis layup and a Prather free throw to go ahead by one. The lead then changed hands four times over the next two minutes as Wells and Chitikoudis traded baskets in the paint.
 
With 1:26 remaining, Wells made two free throws to put the Norse up 89-88. RMU answered on the following possession with a Prather driving layup at the 1:08 mark to regain a 90-89 lead. Livingston later added two free throws as the final insurance points.
 
HEAD COACH ANDY TOOLE
"Another one-possession game in the Horizon League. Another game that was just up and down. Five times you felt like you had it under control, and then five other times you felt like it was slipping away, but I just give so much credit to our guys. That was the hardest we've played in about a month. Guys were excited on the bench. Guys were engaged on the bench, and it takes everybody in any way, shape or form to provide some kind of help and that's what we've got to start to continue to sustain over these next 11 games."
 
UP NEXT
RMU returns home to the UPMC Events Center for a three-game homestand. The Colonials will host Milwaukee on Thursday, January 22 at 7 PM, followed by a Saturday afternoon meeting with Green Bay on January 24 at 2 PM. The homestand concludes on Wednesday, January 28 at 7 PM with a rematch against IU Indy, which will be aired live on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
 
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