Box Score
Moon Township, Pa. - Senior Michael Akuchie hit a 3-pointer with 1:57 left in overtime to break a 74-74 tie and the Penguins made seven of their last eight free-throw attempts to defeat Robert Morris in overtime, 84-78, on Friday evening at the UPMC Event Center.
With the win, the Penguins improve to 9-10 overall and 5-10 in the Horizon League while the Colonials fall to 3-10 overall and 2-8 in the league.
Junior Darius Quisenberry led the Penguins with 20 points while senior Naz Bohannon had 18 points and seven rebounds. Akuchie scored 13 points with three 3-pointers while senior Garrett Covington added 10 points. All of Akuchie's and Covington's points came in the second half and overtime.
For the game, the Penguins shot 49.1 percent from the field, including 51.9 percent in the second half, and made nine 3-pointers. The key for YSU was at the foul line converting 21-of-26 for the game and 10-of-12 in overtime.
Leading the Colonials was AJ Bramah with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Kahliel Spear had 17 points, and Jon Williams and Enoch Cheeks each had 12.
Freshman Shemar Rathan-Mayes made a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds left in regulation to put the Penguins up 71-68. After a quick foul by YSU with 2.8 seconds left, Williams hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Down five at the half, the Penguins scored the first eight points of the second half and 13 of the first 15 points to take a 45-39 lead with 15:08 left. Covington scored the first six points of the half followed by a basket by Bohannon and a 3-pointer and a dunk by Akuchie.
The Penguins built their lead to as many as nine 50-41 after Quisenberry hit a 3-pointer and Bohannon added another bucket.
Robert Morris went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 52-52 with 8:54 left before Greyson Kelley and Akuchie each hit 3s to take a 58-52 advantage at the 7:41 mark.
A second-chance layup by Covington gave the Penguins a 62-55 lead before the Colonials got back within one, 62-61, with four minutes left.
The Colonials shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half and led for more than 17 minutes.
The game was tied a 28-28 after a Bohannon free throw with 3:28 left, but Robert Morris scored nine of the last 13 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Jon Williams, to take a 37-32 lead into the lockerroom.
Bohannon led Youngstown State with 11 first-half points.
The Penguins were able to capitalize on nine Colonial turnovers and turned them into 13 points.
The Penguins and Colonials close out the two-game series, Saturday, Feb. 6. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.
