Weekend Preview: Men’s basketball looks to come back after another hard loss

MOON+TOWNSHIP+--+RMU+mens+basketball+head+coach+Andy+Toole+reacts+during+the+game+against+Siena+%28Samuel+Anthony%2FRMU+Sentry+Media%29.

MOON TOWNSHIP — RMU men’s basketball head coach Andy Toole reacts during the game against Siena (Samuel Anthony/RMU Sentry Media).

Delenn Poe, Contributor

MOON TOWNSHIP — The Robert Morris Colonials men’s basketball team (12-11, 7-3 NEC) are on their home court this weekend as they take on the Bryant Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 7 at the North Athletic Complex at 7:00 p.m. The Colonials have a two-game losing streak coming into this game after suffering losses to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (11-11, 6-4 NEC) and the Saint Francis Red Flash (10-11, 6-4 NEC). The Bulldogs lost their last game to the Central Connecticut Blue Devils (10-13, 4-6 NEC).

The Colonials will also take on the Central Connecticut Blue Devils this weekend, but this game will be on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the North Athletic Complex at 4 p.m. The Blue Devils have a two-game winning streak coming into this game. The teams that the Blue Devils defeated were the Bryant Bulldogs and the Saint Francis Brooklyn Terriers (13-11, 5-5 NEC).

Recapping RMU

The Colonials last took on the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and were defeated in double overtime by a final score of 97-94. The Knights had control of the game in the first half, scoring 47 points while the Colonials scored 38. In the second half the Colonials regained the lead as they scored 37 points while the Knights scored 28 points. In the first overtime, both teams scored 12 points which led to the second overtime. The Knights took the game away from the Colonials when they scored 10 to the Colonials seven points. The star players from the Colonials were Josh Williams with 34 points scored and Matty McConnell with eight rebounds. The star players for the Knights were Darnell Edge who scored 28 points and Elyjah Williams who had eight rebounds.

Recapping Bryant

The Bulldogs last took on the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in a game where the Blue Devils came out on top with a 64-59 victory. In the first half the Bulldogs had control of the game with a score of 33-26, but in the second half, the Blue Devils kicked their scoring into high gear as they 38 points to the Bulldogs 26 points. The star players for the Bulldogs were Byron Hawkins with 17 points scored and SaBastian Townes with nine rebounds.

Recapping CCSU

The Blue Devils took on Saint Francis Brooklyn Terriers and won the game with a final score of 78-72. The first half the Blue Devils took a commanding lead as they scored 36 points to the 27 points of the Terriers. Even though the Terriers outscored the Blue Devils in the second half, the Blue Devils ultimately won the game 45-42. The star player for the Blue Devils were Tyler Kohl, who scored 29 points, and Jamir Coleman, who recovered nine rebounds. The star players for the Terriers were Jalen Jordan who scored 23 points and Yaradyah Evans who had seven rebounds.

Players to watch

Malik Petteway (RMU): Petteway has recovered 135 rebounds. He is more active on the defensive side of the court with 30 blocked shots and 30 steals. He can still score with the rest of the team with 95 field goals and 65 free throws scored.

Josh Williams (RMU): Williams had the most time on the court, and in that, he has scored 347 points on the season so far. He also led the team in field goals with 107 and had 77 three-point shots made also. He is not known for his defensive presence with only having 69 total rebounds but he led the team in assists with 54 so far this season.

Tyler Kohl (CCSU): Kohl is a big contributor in scoring with 126 points scored, he had made 104 free throws and can move the ball around with 102 assists. He also plays a major role on defense with a total of 160 rebounds and 30 steals.

Ian Krishnan (CCSU): Krishnan has the most time on the court but only had a few scoring opportunities to show for it. He had a total of 291 points scored and had 19 steals with 100 field goals scored.

SaBastian Townes (BRYANT): had the top offensive numbers with a total of 306 points scored. Also, he had 106 field goals scored plus 75 three-point shots made. He had the best defensive numbers with 109 rebounds.

Adam Grant (BRYANT): Grant has 301 total points with 103 field goals scored. He leads the team with 52 three points shots made plus 31 assists. He led the team in minutes on the court and had 23 steals.

Predictions

I think the Colonials will win against both teams, but the games will be well fought and close in score. I think the game against the Bulldogs will have a final score of 80-74 in favor of the Colonials. In the game against the Blue Devils, the score will be as tight as the Colonial’s game against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. The Colonials will win by a final score of 76-74.