Robert Morris men edge Youngstown State in OT in championship game rematch

Youngstown State had payback on its mind. Robert Morris had another idea.

In a rematch of the Horizon League Tournament championship game victory that vaulted Robert Morris into the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Colonials came from behind Wednesday night to again beat the Penguins, this time in overtime.

Ryan Prather Jr. scored 19 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the extra period, and Robert Morris made 3 of 4 free throws in the closing seconds to hold off Youngstown State, 80-77, at UPMC Events Center.

“It means a lot to us to get this win,” said Prather, the only returning player from a 26-9 team of a year ago. “It’s a great win, a great conference win for us. The main goal is to win (another) championship. So hopefully, this is the kind of win that will help to lead us in the right direction.”

DeSean Goode added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Nikolaos Chitikoudis finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds and Josh Hill also scored 10 points for the Colonials (9-4, 2-1).

Prather shot 8 for 12, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, for Robert Morris, which was coming off a massive come-from-behind 75-70 victory over Toledo on Saturday in a game where they trailed by as many 21 points.

In last season’s Horizon Tournament championship game in Indianapolis, Robert Morris scored 11 unanswered points in the first three minutes and went on to beat Youngstown State, 89-78, to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid in five years.

Cris Carroll scored 31 points for Youngstown State (7-5, 2-1), finishing 10-for-12 shooting overall and 6 for 8 from long range.

Vlad Salaridze added 15 points, and Bryson Dawkins scored 13 for the Penguins, who shot 58.1% (25 for 43) and made 10 of 24 3-pointers (41.7%) but committed 22 turnovers.

“Hats off to our guys for just figuring out how to make just enough plays,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “It’s the first game of the year where we’ve really been able to turn somebody over. I just don’t think our defense has had enough activity on a consistent basis to really disrupt people. Getting 22 turnovers tonight for us was critical because the percentages they shot were so high.”

Robert Morris won for the fifth time in six games and ended Youngstown State’s five-game winning streak.

But not without some tense moments.

Youngstown State led by as many 10 points in the first half and settled for a 36-32 halftime lead.

The Penguins stayed ahead until Robert Morris went on a 9-0 run and took its first lead, 54-52, on a basket by Prather with 10 minutes, 39 seconds left.

The Colonials held Youngstown State scoreless for 4 1/2 minutes during the rally.

“We’re building some confidence,” Toole said. “We’re going through this for the first time with most of these guys. We have Ryan, who’s obviously experienced some success, but some of the other guys haven’t at this level.”

Youngstown State got the lead back up to 61-56 and 63-58 but couldn’t shake loose from Robert Morris.

Goode’s 3-pointer with 1:06 to go in regulation pulled the Colonials even at 67-67.

After a basket by Carroll, Albert Vargas converted two free throws with 12 seconds remaining before Carroll’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

The overtime saw four lead changes with Prather’s 3-pointer giving RMU the upper hand for good. A Kaleb Brown free throw with 4 seconds left gave the Colonials a 78-75 lead.

Two seconds later, Salaridze converted two from the line for Youngstown State — he failed to miss the second intentionally to give the Penguins an opportunity to rebound and tie the score — before Goode guaranteed the outcome with a pair of his own from the stripe.

Chitikoudis, playing in his first season at Robert Morris, took a scary fall midway through the second half when he hit his head on the floor and was helped off. He later returned to the lineup and finished with his fourth double-double of the season and second in a row.

Robert Morris was playing for the second consecutive game without freshman guard Darius Livingston, who was on the Colonials bench in a walking boot following an injury suffered in practice before Saturday’s game against Toledo.

In 11 games, all in a reserve role, the 6-foot-2 Livingston is averaging 8.5 points and was second on the team with 40 assists.

Up next for Robert Morris is a trip to Saint Francis on Saturday in what perhaps might be the final meeting between the schools, at least for a while.

Saint Francis will leave the Northeast Conference at the end of the season and transition to Division III beginning in 2026.

The teams were longtime rivals in the NEC (formerly ECAC Metro and ECAC South) from 1979-2020.

Saint Francis (2-10) was trounced Wednesday night by No. 23 Florida, 102-61.