Cookeville, Tenn. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team continued play in the Air Force Classic Friday night with an 85-72 loss to Tennessee Tech at the Eblen Center.
In a game of runs, RMU (0-6) fell behind by double digits early, 11-0, before sophomore forward
Elijah Minnie got the Colonials on the board with a driving layup at the 15:54 mark of the first half. The Golden Eagles (3-2) grabbed their biggest lead of the first half, 18-6, after Ryan Martin scored a layup.
TTU converted eight of its first 13 shots from the floor to start the game but struggled the rest of the stanza, shooting just 21.1 percent (4-for-19) in the final 13 minutes before intermission. Robert Morris chipped away at its deficit, closing to within 21-17 thanks to an 11-4 surge that was capped by a four-point play from senior guard
Rodney Pryor.
The Golden Eagles weathered the run and pushed their advantage to 26-17 at the 8:41 mark of the first half as Mason Ramsey hit a jumper and Martin scored on a fastbreak layup.
The Colonials then heated up, using a 24-7 run to grab a 41-33 lead with just 26 seconds left before halftime. Minnie scored scored nine points thanks to a trio of three-pointers, while junior forward
Billy Giles supplied six points, including a layup that pushed Robert Morris in front. Freshman guard
Steven Whitley added five points, including a three-pointer that gave the Colonials their biggest advantage.
Robert Morris eventually owned a 41-35 lead at the break, but Tennessee Tech used a 7-2 surge to start the second half to close to within 43-42. Pryor answered with a three-pointer to give the Colonials a 46-42 edge, and a pair of free throws from Pryor with 15:42 to play gave RMU a 48-44 advantage.
RMU couldn't sustain the momentum, as the Colonials went five minutes without a field goal, and in the meantime TTU used a 17-3 run to open up a 61-51 advantage with 10:19 remaining. The cushion for the Golden Eagles eventually swelled to 79-62 after a three-pointer by Aleksa Jugovic with 3:17 to play.
Jugovic scored 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and added seven rebounds and six assists for the Golden Eagles. Martin also scored 20 points and registered a double-double thanks to 10 boards.
Pryor garnered game-high honors with 21 points but suffered five turnovers, while Minnie contributed 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Giles finished with a career-high 16 points, six caroms and three blocks.
Robert Morris closes out the Air Force Classic Saturday, Nov. 28, with an 8:30 p.m. tip against Mississippi Valley State in the second game of a doubleheader at Eblen Center.
Stat of the Night14 – Rebound margin posted by the Golden Eagles in the second half over the Colonials.
