MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - For the second straight year, Robert Morris is heading to Indianapolis. The Colonials (22-10) advanced to the Barbasol Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship semifinals after a 68-53 victory over Youngstown State (15-17) in front of 3,537 fans at the UPMC Events Center on Wednesday night. The 53 points allowed marked the second-best defensive effort of the season for RMU, while the victory extends their winning streak to eight games, dating back to Feb. 4.
 
Ryan Prather Jr. led the scoring effort for the Colonials with 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and added seven rebounds. DeSean Goode contributed 12 points and recorded 11 rebounds alongside two blocks, while Darius Livingston added 12 points with four assists for RMU. Defensively, the Colonials set team season-bests by holding the Penguins to just 32.1 percent shooting from the field and 22.2 percent from 3-point range.
 
Vladimer Salaridze led the Penguins with 18 points, shooting 5-for-10 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, while also contributing five steals and nine total rebounds. Cris Carroll added 17 points for YSU, including three 3-pointers on nine attempts, and secured three rebounds.
 
1st HALF
The first half began as a defensive grind, with both teams combining for only two field goals apiece through the opening eight minutes. The game remained a one-possession contest until RMU broke away late in the period; a Taz'ir Smith three-pointer put the Colonials ahead 22–16 just before the under-four-minute media timeout. The Penguins were unable to close the gap before the break, as a Prather jumper served as the closing act of the half to send the teams to the locker room with RMU leading 28–23.
 
2nd HALF
The second half began with YSU scoring the first five points to pull even at 28-28. However, the Colonials responded immediately when Prather buried a three-pointer, a bucket that effectively shifted the momentum and allowed RMU to seize control for the remainder of the contest.
 
This sparked a 20-9 run spanning the next 10 minutes, extending the Colonials' lead to 48-37. The Penguins struggled to find an answer as the clock wound down, and RMU eventually stretched its advantage to a game-high 20 points with just 4:32 remaining in regulation.
 
UP NEXT
Robert Morris faces No. 3 seed Detroit Mercy (16-14) in the semifinals on March 9. The game will take place at the Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis and airs on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. UDM was an 84-63 winner in its first-round game against Milwaukee earlier tonight. RMU won both regular-season meetings against the Titans, recording an 85-77 road win on Jan. 2 and a 73-62 home victory on Feb. 25.
 
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