Meyer On Morris: Soul To Squeeze

By: By Paul Meyer

Men's Basketball | 2/14/2015 5:00:00 AM

Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris fans who are dejected and perhaps bewildered by their team's play Thursday night can be excused for thinking there's a short-term cure on the horizon for what ails the Colonials.

Those fans will look at Central Connecticut State's dismal record and think, "Hey! Hope!''

To be sure, a case can be made for that thought process. The Blue Devils enter the Charles L. Sewall Center today for a noon tipoff lugging a 3-23 overall record, which includes a 1-12 mark in the Northeast Conference. Their impressive streak of 16 consecutive seasons in the Northeast Conference Tournament will end in three weeks.

Against NEC opposition this season, CCSU ranks last in scoring offense (59.1 ppg) and seventh in scoring defense (72.0 ppg). The Blue Devils are also last in scoring margin (minus-12.9), ninth in field goal percentage (.406) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (.453). They're eighth in three-point shooting percentage (.322) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage defense (.342). And their turnover margin of minus- 4.92 is a distant last.

Basically, nothing has gone right for the Blue Devils since they lost prolific scorer Kyle Vinales because of a violation of team rules before the season even began. So, yes, one could think today the enigmatic and erratic Colonials should right their wayward ship.

Again.

Until one considers the case of the Colonials themselves.

Since starting NEC play 7-2 and appearing, at least outwardly, to be once again a contender for another regular-season championship, RMU has lost three of their past four games. The latest head-scratcher was a 63-62 loss to LIU Brooklyn at the Sewall Center Thursday night.

In that game, the Colonials led, 31-16, with six minutes left in the first half. They led, 47-35, four minutes into the second half. They led, 60-56, with five minutes remaining. In short, they led for 33 minutes, 16 seconds. They just didn't lead at the right time.

So, in the end, they came up short.

That, in turn, led to a 90-minute locker room soul-searching meeting between coach Andrew Toole and the players.

Toole was more facilitator than haranguer.

"They did most of the talking, to be honest,'' Toole said. "I just tried to ask some questions. I'm not sure we came to any kind of resolution. The guys are frustrated. The coaches are frustrated. But we're the only ones who can make it better, and I hope when we walked out of the locker room guys felt like they want to try to make it better.''

Toole, though, was far from sure.

"When you get things off your chest and you can hopefully try to identify the problem and can create a solution, I think that that's the best way to handle those things,'' he said. "I think we identified some of the problems. I don't know if we've created solutions. We're a big part of our problem and can also be a big part of the solution if we decide we want to be.''

Thus, today's game shouldn't be viewed as a quick-fix situation. More important, today's game is a chance for the Colonials to come together and begin finding a long-term solution to their problems over the final five games. And beyond. It kind of slipped under the radar that Robert Morris did pick up an asterisk in the standings Thursday night and officially qualified for the NEC Tournament for the 12th consecutive season.

But where the Colonials will wind up being seeded and how far they'll go in that event is very much open to question if they don't locate some answers.

To wit, how can they shoot 65.4 percent from the field and hold a 40-30 halftime lead against LIU Brooklyn and then, as the chill deepened outside the Sewall Center Thursday night, become cold themselves inside the Sewall Center and shoot only 25 percent from the field in the decisive second half?

"We stopped moving the ball and doing some of the things that gave us success in the first half,'' Toole said. "We stopped moving ourselves. We took contested jump shots. We did some things out of character from a shooting perspective that made it difficult. A lot of plays in the first half we were making for our teammates. In the second half, we were trying to make a lot of plays for ourselves. That doesn't get it done.''

In the first half, the three scoring leaders on the season for the Colonials -- Marcquise Reed, Rodney Pryor and Lucky Jones -- combined for 22 points. They were a collective 9-for-12 from the field. In the second half, that trio managed only 11 points on 4-of-20 shooting from the field.

"(LIU Brooklyn's defensive) intensity level increased,'' Toole said. "We have a tendency to let down (in second halves). Those two worlds collided, and you shoot 25 percent.''

Conversely, the Blackbirds, who shot 35.3 percent from the field in the first half, made 52.6 percent of their shots in the second half.

"Our defense in the second half let us down,'' Toole said.

Not the first time that's happened this season.

"I don't know why that is,'' Toole said. "I wish I could give you an answer on why that is or how we can correct it or promise you that it will change on Saturday, but I can't do that.''

The big-picture question seems to be why these Colonials, who appear to have enough talent to be one of the best teams in the NEC, continue to fritter away opportunities to prove that.

"I don't know,'' Toole said. "To be honest with you, it's something we've discussed at great length. We've tried to use film. We've tried to use statistics. We've tried to do group therapy, individual therapy. I don't know. I really don't. If I had the answer, it wouldn't continue to happen.''

BE-DEVILED: Central Connecticut State lost at St. Francis University, 74-63, Thursday night in a game that absolutely wasn't that close. The Red Flash rushed to a 23-3 lead in the first seven and-a-half minutes and led by 35 points, 58-23, with just under 13 minutes left. CCSU shot just 27 percent in the first half (6-of-22) and trailed, 40-17, at intermission.

Matt Mobley scored 18 points for the Blue Devils, who have lost five straight games. Ollie Jackson led the Red Flash with 18 points, while teammates Ronnie Drinnon (15-11) and Earl Brown (14-11) posted double-doubles.

NEC NUGGETS: Jones struggled through a 4-of-13 shooting night Thursday and wound up with 12 points. That pushed his career total to 1,505 and moved him past Forest Grant (1,484) and into seventh place on RMU's career scoring list. Next up is Maurice Carter (1,506) … Reed had a team-high 14 points against LIU Brooklyn, although only two after halftime. Reed's season point total of 373 puts him 104 short of the school record for most points scored by a freshman held by Karon Abraham, who scored 477 points in 2009-10 … Pryor finished with seven points Thursday night, two points after intermission. The Colonials are 1-8 when Pryor fails to reach double figures … Aaron Tate scored eight points before the first media timeout but scored only two points thereafter … Elijah Minnie had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds in his 23 minutes … Senior guard David Appolon missed another game because of a shoulder injury … Bryant moved into sole possession of second place in the NEC with a 74-71 victory at Fairleigh Dickinson. Dyami Starks led the Bulldogs with 31 points. FDU, which has lost 11 consecutive games, made only six of 28 casts from international waters but was 23-of-24 from the free throw line … First place St. Francis Brooklyn won its fifth straight game by beating visiting Wagner, 83-66. Jalen Cannon led the Terriers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Teammate Brent Jones had 10 points and 10 assists … Sacred Heart won at Mount St. Mary's, 62-55, its third consecutive victory.

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