The losing streak continued as Robert Morris University hosted Purdue Fort Wayne at the UPMC Events Center, falling 79-74. With the loss, the Colonials dropped to 3-4 in Horizon League play.
Ryan Prather Jr. led all scorers with 20 points, while DeSean Goode added 14.
The game came down to the final five seconds, when Prather’s potential game-tying three-pointer was blocked, sealing the Mastodons’ third straight win.
Head coach Andy Toole emphasized the importance of limiting mistakes down the stretch.
“Everybody doesn’t get to miss a box out. Everybody doesn’t get to break down. Everybody doesn’t get to close out short. Like on a team there’s only so many errors that we can make, and then give ourselves a chance to win,” Toole said.
RMU opened the scoring with a jumper, but PFW quickly answered with its first three-pointer. The Colonials responded with a three-pointer of their own to notch the game’s first tie.
Cam Wilds hit back-to-back three-pointers to give RMU a three-point lead with just under 15 minutes remaining, but PFW countered with a 3-pointer that ignited a 24-11 run. With 4:12 left in the first half, the Mastodons drilled another three-pointer to stretch the lead to 10. RMU cut it to seven with a bucket from beyond the arc, but PFW answered again to push the margin back to double digits.
Prather scored three-straight free throws to trim the deficit to seven. The Colonials continued to chip away and pulled within three in the final minute, but another Mastodons 3-pointer sent RMU into halftime trailing 43-37.
The opening half featured five ties, while PFW shot 52.9% from beyond the arc and 75% at the line.
Prather opened the second half with his first three-pointer of the game and sparked a 9-0 run that put RMU ahead 46-45. Over the next seven minutes, however, the Mastodons outscored the Colonials 22-7 to build a 14-point lead. RMU answered with a seven-point burst with 4:45 remaining.
In his first appearance since Dec. 6, Darius Livingston hit a 3-pointer, followed by another from Prather, that put RMU within one possession.
With 15 seconds left, Nikolaos Chitikoudis converted a layup to cut the deficit to 77-74. Prather’s last-second 3-point attempt was blocked, and PFW sank two free throws to secure the win.
After the game, Toole expressed frustration with his team’s recent lack of consistency.
“It’s almost like some of the success that we had early in the season was the worst thing that could have happened because now we believe that you can just pick and choose when you want to play, and that’s not how it works as teams continue to improve. And so we’ve kind of plateaued in our improvement,” Toole said.
Robert Morris opens a two-game road trip Jan. 15 at Indiana University Indianapolis. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., with coverage on ESPN+.
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