Moon Township, Pa. (February 21, 2020)—Mount St. Mary's fell short, 68-60, in a hard-fought battle at Robert Morris on Friday night.  Jalen Gibbs led the Mountaineers with 19 points in the game.

The Mount held a 41-37 advantage after a pair of Vado Morse free throws, but Robert Morris (16-13, 12-4 NEC) scored the next seven points to take the lead, the final five coming from Jalen Hawkins.  RMU extended the lead to 50-44 on a Charles Bain three-pointer before Gibbs countered with a triple for the Mountaineers.

The Mountaineers (10-18, 6-9 NEC) hung tough, evening the score at 57-57 when Morse drained a three-pointer with 3:57 left in the game.  Robert Morris broke the tie on a Jon Williams long three-pointer with the Mount cutting the deficit to 60-59 on two more Morse free throws.  After Yannis Mendy hit 1-of-2 at the line, Gibbs missed a three-pointer on the next possession for the Mount.

Josh Williams then hit the big shot, a three-pointer with 1:02 on the clock to give Robert Morris a 64-59 lead.  From there, the Mount was unable to cut into the deficit and the Colonials held on for the 68-60 win.

Gibbs finished the game with 19 points, hitting 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range.  Morse added 10 points while Malik Jefferson added nine points and five boards.  Damian Chong Qui had a strong all-around game with eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals while Nana Opoku chipped in five points and nine boards in the loss.

Josh Williams led all scorers with a game-high 22 points for Robert Morris, draining 5-of-10 shots from three-point range.  Mendy added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Colonials in the win.

The Mountaineers shot 41.7 percent in the game and were 8-of-19 (.421) from three-point range.  Robert Morris shot 47.1 percent overall, including 54.2 percent in the second half.  The Colonials were 9-of-22 (.409) from beyond the arc. 

The Mount started the game quickly, taking a 12-3 lead in the early moments.  Jefferson scored on the first possession of the game, and Chong Qui connected for consecutive buckets for a 6-0 lead.  After a Josh Williams three-pointer, Gibbs and Opoku knocked down triples to push the advantage to nine points.

After Robert Morris sliced the Mount lead to 21-16, Gibbs connected on a baseline jumper and a three-pointer to give the Mount its biggest lead at 26-16.  Josh Williams responded with a personal 7-0 run to make it a three-point game, and an AJ Bramah dunk made it a 28-25 game.  Gibbs and Jon Williams traded three-pointers before Gibbs found Habwe alone under the basket to give the Mount a 33-28 lead at the half.

Gibbs finished the opening half with 14 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots from three-point range while also dishing out three assists.  Josh Williams led the Colonials with 10 first-half points.

The Mountaineers are back in action on Sunday, February 23, when NEC leader Merrimack visits Knott Arena for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.