Robert Morris men rebound in big way, top Purdue Fort Wayne on OT buzzer-beater

The dust hadn’t settled from a frantic finish Friday night at UPMC Events Center, where Markeese Hastings’ buzzer-beating 3-point shot lifted Robert Morris to a 91-88 overtime victory over Purdue Fort Wayne, when Colonials coach Andy Toole was swarmed by his ecstatic players.

“Is your shirt wet?” Toole was asked after emerging from the RMU locker room, his hair dripping and his clothes stained with moisture.

“Yeah, my whole shirt. I’m soaked,” he said. “I got attacked with water when I walked in there. You know what? I would like it to happen more often.”

It just might if the Colonials can keep the victories coming, something they’ve struggled to maintain in their fourth season in the Horizon League after making some headway a year ago with their first nonlosing record (10-10) since joining the conference in 2020-21.

They hope to close out their four-game homestand with another of those wins Wednesday against Detroit Mercy.

Markeese Hastings (@Hoop_King015) gets the long pass and hits the GAME WINNING BUZZER BEATER 3 for Robert Morris to upset Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) 91-88 in OT (Video via @hardwiredsports) pic.twitter.com/fBMrpXSbO2

— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) January 13, 2024

The Titans, whose season a year ago was driven by star point guard Antoine Davis’ bid to become college basketball’s all-time leading scorer, are winless in 17 games this season. Dating to last season, they have lost 18 in a row heading into Saturday’s Horizon League contest against Northern Kentucky.

Josh Corbin’s 28 points paced Robert Morris (6-12, 2-5), which won for just second time in the past six games. The Colonials were trounced by 25 points two days earlier at home by Wright State.

“For the last two days, we talked about, ‘What are you about?’ ” Toole said. “We talked about, ‘So, you get down by 10 points, and the game’s over? You miss a shot, and the game’s over? The coach says something you don’t like, and you just shut it down?’

“I’m super proud of the way we continued to fight and try to give ourselves a chance tonight,” Toole said. “It certainly was not perfect, but it never is. We have to get to the point where we are willing to continue to fight to make the next play. I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Corbin, who left the game briefly in the second half when he hit the floor hard, said the players made a concerted effort to play unselfish. It paid off in the end, when Hastings picked up a loose ball and hit a turnaround 3-pointer at the buzzer to win it for the Colonials.

“We felt like we’ve had a couple of conference games this season where we were a little selfish, me included,” said Corbin, who shot 9 for 15 (8 for 12 from behind the arc) and added six assists and four rebounds. “Being a leader and experienced player on this team, the goal was to come out and try to make the extra pass, look for other players, so it can feed through everybody. We were more aware of it, and we executed it, and it was a great step for us.”

Where the Colonials were dominated Wednesday night by Wright State in a 101-76 loss, they bounced back in convincing fashion against Purdue Fort Wayne (13-5, 4-3), which lost for the third time in a row.

“It was a struggle at times — we turned the ball over way too much (season-high 25) — but we continued to fight, and that gives you a chance,” Toole said. “As long as they allow me to coach, I’m going be fighting to do the right things and play the right way. That’s the only thing I know, and it was great to see our guys embrace that tonight.”

With the score tied 88-88, Purdue Fort Wayne’s Quinton Morton-Robertson was whistled for traveling with 2 seconds remaining, turning the ball over to Robert Morris.

Hastings then battled for a long inbounds pass from Jackson Last and gained control before beating the buzzer with a desperation shot that sent fans into a frenzy as Robert Morris’ players mobbed Hastings on the floor.

“We were to throw a full-court pass and get it to (Corbin),” said Hastings, a graduate transfer from Western Michigan. “I was just ready to make the next play. Saw the ball, grabbed it and shot it. Yeah, that’s what I did. It was a no-brainer. The clock was winding down. Honestly, I didn’t know if it was going in until it actually went in. Just to get a W against a team like that, it’s a good feeling.”

Last added 17 points, Justice Williams finished with 16 and Hastings contributed 15 for Robert Morris.

Morton-Robertson led Purdue Fort Wayne with 24 points. Jalen Jackson (17), Rasheed Bello (14) and Maximus Nelson and Anthony Roberts (12 each) also were in double figures for the Mastodons, who dropped a 62-48 decision to Pitt on Dec. 20 at Petersen Events Center and were coming off a 93-85 defeat Wednesday at Youngstown State.

After Robert Morris endured its second-worst Horizon League loss earlier this week, the Colonials put up a marquee victory. Their worst conference defeat also came against Wright State on Jan. 20, 2021, a 30-point, 86-56 decision.

It was nothing close to that Friday.

Corbin’s 3-point shot pulled Robert Morris within 72-71 with 3:17 left, but Purdue Fort Wayne kept the lead until Corbin’s late 3-pointer in regulation sent the game into overtime tied 78-78.

Earlier, Corbin drained a pair of 3-pointers to spark an 11-2 Robert Morris run that gave the Colonials a 45-36 lead with 16:37 left.

Purdue Fort Wayne battled back and regained the lead that stood until the final seconds of regulation on a 3-pointer by Nelson with 10:02 to go.

Meanwhile, Robert Morris’ next opponent, Detroit Mercy, has struggled following the departure of superstar point guard Davis, a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year who finished his college career three points shy of Pete Maravich’s all-time scoring record of 3,667 points.

Despite his career average of 25.4 points, the 6-foot-1 Davis went undrafted and plays for the Rip City Remix, an NBA G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Without Davis this season, the Titans are led by senior Jayden Stone’s 18.9 points per game.