The Hostilo Hoops Community Classic ended Sunday afternoon for the Robert Morris Colonials. It will go into the history books as a tournament to forget.
Following losses to Mercer and Evansville the previous two days, RMU faced South Alabama to conclude the three-game stretch.
The Colonials failed to secure a victory in Savannah, Georgia and were handled smoothly by USA in the second half.
RMU (2-5) lost 84-70 to the Jaguars (3-4) and have lost four games in a row, all away from home.
South Alabama led by as much as 11 in the first half and eventually pushed it to 15. The Jaguars owned a 23-16 advantage halfway through the first and paced themselves well throughout the entire game.
Andy Toole’s team played a decent first 20 minutes, shooting 14-of-32 (43.8%) from the field. RMU only turned the ball over four times, a constant issue for the group.
Tristian Jeffries made his first start but did not attempt a shot Sunday. Jackson Last also came up short, missing both of his field-goal attempts.
Josh Corbin came off the bench and made three triples in the first half helping him collect a team-high 11 points. Kahliel Spear notched seven points and six rebounds. The team connected on 4-of-8 three-point attempts as Spear converted on a shot from deep.
Like other opponents, South Alabama outshot RMU – USA made 17-of-30 (56.7%) first-half attempts – and never allowed the Colonials to reach within striking distance.
Isaiah Moore and Kevin Samuel dominated the Colonials as a lethal guard-center combo.
Moore scored on 6-of-8 attempts and a game-high 14 points. Samuel totaled 11 points and five rebounds on his way to a double-double.Â
South Alabama’s success continued into the second half where the team shot 61.5%. USA combined to shoot 33-of-56 (58.9%) and overmatched the Colonials.
Struggles at the free-throw line in no way assisted RMU’s cause as the team missed seven of its 12 attempts.Â
RMU tried to sneak into the lead but the Jaguars’ success at the line – making 13-of-16 free throws – maintained a consistent advantage.Â
The Colonials out-rebounded USA 33-31 and recorded the same margin of assists (11-9). RMU committed nine turnovers and were spread between five players.
Corbin finished with 19 points. Spear added another double-double in points (16) and rebounds (10) as RMU’s most reliable player. Spear could have capitalized more, though, missing 5-of-6 attempts at the charity stripe. The team needs more help from newcomers to overcome consistent pressure forced on him. Last, Stephaun Walker, T.J. Wainwright, and Chris Ford combined for 11 points.Â
Enoch Cheeks did not play for the second-straight game, not helping the cause at all, while Michael Green III stepped into a solid scoring role.
Green played well for Toole and company, recording 17 points and seven assists, moving the ball effectively to control the offense.
Moore finished the game totaling a game-high 28 points. Samuel was outstanding and helped lock in the victory in the second half. He scored 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting and added 12 rebounds, four on the offensive glass.
RMU begins Horizon League play Thursday night in Dayton, Ohio against Wright State. The game begins at 7 p.m.
headline wrong. RMU played South Alabama not State