Robert Morris drops 2nd OT game in row to Youngstown State - TribLIVE

apenabe.blogspot.com

The first season in the Horizon League for the Robert Morris men’s basketball team has been a struggle for the stubborn Colonials, yet they don’t appear ready to stop until they get it right.

Say one thing: These guys keep on trying.

“We’re battling at times,” coach Andy Toole said. “We really can’t battle long enough.”

For the second time in as many days, Robert Morris and Youngstown State went to overtime Saturday.

Darius Quisenberry scored 21 points, Michael Akuchie contributed 11 points and 24 rebounds, and Youngstown State continued its torrid shooting from the free-throw line to come away with a 70-66 victory at UPMC Events Center, extending the frustrated Colonials’ losing streak to eight.

Youngstown State (10-10, 6-10) also defeated Robert Morris in overtime Friday, 84-78.

The Colonials (3-11, 2-9) have dropped four games in overtime this season — one from tying a school record — and lost for the fifth time by six points or fewer.

AJ Bramah’s 17 points and 16 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season and all coming in the past six games, led Robert Morris. Trayden Williams added 16 points for the Colonials, who will host Oakland on Friday and Saturday.

Bramah, among the Horizon League leaders in scoring and rebounding, returned to the Colonials’ lineup Friday following a two-game absence and averaged 18.5 points and 19.0 rebounds during the two-game series with Youngstown State.

During the past six games, the 6-foot-7 senior has averaged 24.1 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Toole, while supremely disappointed with how the season has unfolded — Robert Morris was voted to finish fourth in the Horizon League preseason poll — recognizes his players’ efforts as worthy.

“Everything is hard for us right now,” he said. “But they’ve been resilient. They’ve come back after all this frustration, and they’ve continued to fight and they send the game to overtime and give themselves opportunities, give themselves chances. There’s a lot of other teams out there that I think would just lay down and say, ‘Forget it, man.’ ”

Youngstown State made 16 of 22 free throws combined in the second half and overtime in its latest victory, the Penguins’ third in a row. They finished 18 for 25 (72%) after connecting on 21 of 26 (80.8) on Friday.

Naz Bohannon and Garrett Covington contributed 15 points apiece for Youngstown State, and Akuchie’s 24 rebounds set a UPMC Events Center single-game record was the most since the school moved to Division I in 1981-82.

Trayden Williams’ layup put Robert Morris ahead 60-58 in the overtime period — just the Colonials’ second lead of the game — and just as they did down the stretch in regulation, the teams battled to stay on top in the extra period.

Quisenberry hit four free throws in the final 1 minute, 14 seconds of overtime, including a pair with 23 seconds left, and Garrett Covington followed with two more with 11 seconds to go, giving Youngstown State a six-point lead.

Robert Morris took its first lead on Jon Williams’ 3-point shot with 4:15 left in regulation, and the teams fought for control.

Cameron Wilbon’s short jumper in the lane with 1 second left tied the score at 58-58 and forced the overtime period, much like the Colonials had done in Friday’s game on Jon Williams’ 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer.

Following a year in which Robert Morris captured the Northeast Conference Tournament championship in the school’s final season in the league but was denied a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament with the league’s automatic bid, the Colonials find themselves in last place in the Horizon League standings with four league games remaining.

Toole has continued to implore his players not to give up and has lauded their ongoing resiliency, but he insisted he’s not willing to accept incompetent play.

“They keep battling. They keep grinding. They want to win,” he said. “We want them to win because they’re playing hard enough to do it. It’s just that, ‘Can you combine the effort with detail?’

“There’s times where we seem to be a half-step behind on certain things that really hurt us, whether it’s a communication issue, a positioning issue, a defensive formula breakdown. Being able to execute and do your job … There are guys who go out there and can’t do their job enough, and so people get opportunities that maybe they shouldn’t get.”

Dave Mackall is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

Categories: Robert Morris | Sports