MOON TOWNSHIP— In the first home game of the 2023-24 campaign, the Colonials took on Point Park University in an intra-city matchup and emerged victorious by a final score of 66-56.
Through the first 5 minutes of the first half, the Colonials looked out of their groove. Luckily, Markeese Hastings helped them find it and led Robert Morris to a quick seven-point lead. Hastings started the scoring for the Colonials as he sunk a three-ball to put the Colonials in the lead.
Early on, the Pioneers struggled shooting the ball, shooting 1-9 from the field. Everything changed after Point Park called a timeout, as afterward, it went 2-2 and cut into the Colonials’ lead.
Point Park took a seven-point lead as the Colonials couldn’t buy a basket. However, Jackson Last made a three-point to cut into the Pioneers’ lead. The Colonials looked to get back into rhythm when Point Park fell cold.
At halftime, the Colonials trailed by five points. The Colonials struggled on both sides as they could not generate any offense and were shooting 32.4% from the field. The Colonials also had many costly turnovers that led to Point Park points.
Markeese Hastings had a team-leading nine points at halftime. Coach Toole had this to say about the squad early on in the game.
“We were inconsistent, mostly on offense, and we allowed our offense to dictate our defense.”
Early in the second half, Point Park picked up where they left off in the 1st half. The Pioneers began the half where they left off and on the other side, the Colonials started the half cold.
The Colonials were not shooting well, but their defense kept them in it. At the 12-minute mark in the second half, the Colonials still trailed by three. That was until Jackson Last put the Colonials ahead when he drained a three.
TJ Wainwright heated up at the perfect time for the Colonials, as he helped the team keep adding to their lead. At the last media timeout, Robert Morris had a seven-point lead.
Markeese Hastings called the game with a late 3 to put the Colonials up by 10. The Colonials ended up winning 66-56. Many Colonials stepped up today as Josh Corbin and Justice Williams were ruled out.
Coach Toole thinks the team needs to improve before heading down to the Charm City to play Towson. This is what Toole has to say about the upcoming trip.
“Obviously, execution on both sides for sure. Understanding the importance of every possession, and we didn’t value it tonight,” Toole said.
The Colonials will take on the Towson Tigers at the TU Arena on Sunday, November 12th, at 7 pm in Baltimore, Maryland.
