This time, another close outcome went Robert Morris’ way.
Ryan Prather Jr. scored 23 points, including the go-ahead basket in overtime, and Nikolaos Chitikoudis and DeSean Goode registered double-doubles as the Colonials stopped a three-game losing streak with a 92-89 victory Saturday night over Northern Kentucky at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
It was the second consecutive overtime game and fifth of the season for Robert Morris (12-8, 4-5 Horizon), and it was the fifth victory in 10 games decided by five points or fewer for the Colonials, including a two-point loss to Northern Kentucky on Dec. 29 at UPMC Events Center.
“It’s another one-possession game in the Horizon League,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said on the RMU postgame broadcast. “Another game that was just so up and down. Another game that was just so … five times you felt like you had it under control, and then five other times when you felt like it was slipping away.”
It marked the third consecutive game of at least 20 points for Prather, who shot 9 for 18. He was 4 for 12 from 3-point range.
Chitikoudis finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds and DeSean Goode had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Colonials, who also got 14 points from Kaleb Brown and 11 from Ta’Zir Smith.
RMU outrebounded Northern Kentucky, 47-37.
The Colonials held the Norse scoreless over the final 1 minute, 26 seconds of the extra period after allowing Northern Kentucky to tie the score in the closing seconds of regulation.
After Prather’s driving layup with 1:08 remaining in overtime gave Robert Morris a 90-89 lead, both teams turned the ball over.
Brown’s late steal for RMU set up two free throws by Darius Livingston with 9 seconds to go that gave the Colonials a three-point lead.
Northern Kentucky (14-7, 6-4) twice misfired on potentialtying 3-pointers by Donovan Oday and Ethan Elliott.
“We figured out a way to win the game,” Toole said. “We’ve got to continue to figure out how to get better and clean some things up because we know each and every one of these games is going to have this kind of intensity and pressure on how you can execute in late-game situations.”
In its previous game Thursday, Robert Morris failed to protect a double-digit lead in the second half and lost in overtime at IU Indianapolis, 96-93.
The Colonials this time held on to improve to 2-3 in overtime games.
“I just give so much credit to our guys. That was the hardest we’ve played in about a month,” Toole said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to bottle that same intensity and urgency. Credit to those guys for their bounce-back from Thursday night. The energy was incredible, and it takes everybody.”
Oday’s career-high 38 points off the bench paced Northern Kentucky. L.J. Wells added, 18 and Dan Gherezgher finished with 15 for the Norse.
Oday has started just four of 21 games but leads Northern Kentucky and ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring (18.1 ppg).
He shot 11 for 18, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range. The senior guard, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton, also converted 12 of 16 free throws.
“He was fantastic,” Toole said. “He’s just in a full throttle mode all the time. He puts so much pressure on you if you’re not ready on his catch. It’s hard to handle. He’s downhill in a blink. If he makes some 3s, it just makes it that much more of a challenge.”
Robert Morris held a three-point lead with 17 seconds left in regulation but relinquished possession following an officials’ review, setting up Oday’s 3-point shot that tied the score 81-81 with 6 seconds left.
Prather’s 3-pointer at the buzzer for Robert Morris bounced off the back of the iron, sending the game to overtime.
Robert Morris shot 46.2% and made 11 of 28 3-pointers (39.3), whereas Northern Kentucky finished just 6 for 26 (23.1) from behind the arc.
The Colonials earned just their fourth victory in 12 games against Northern Kentucky since the teams first faced one another in 2020-21. Seven games in the series have been decided by five points or fewer.
RMU returns to UPMC Events Center for a three-game homestand beginning Thursday night against Milwaukee. The Colonials dropped another close decision to the Panthers, 74-72, on the road on Dec. 6.