Staten Island, N.Y. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team dropped back-to-back games for the first time on the 2006-07 season Saturday afternoon with a 72-60 defeat to Wagner at the Spiro Sports Center on Staten Island, N.Y. The loss drops the Colonials to 5-3 overall on the campaign, including 0-2 in Northeast Conference play, while the Seahawks improved to 3-6 overall and 1-0 in conference action.
For the second straight game RMU jumped out to a 4-0 lead, this time as junior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) and senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.) each hit baskets to give the Colonials the early advantage. It was part of an 11-2 opening run for Robert Morris that also saw Lee add five more points while senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) scored on a dunk.
Wagner roared back with seven answered points to climb within two, 11-9, but Jackson hit a pair of three pointers to push RMU to a 17-9 lead with 12:55 remaining in the first half. The Colonials held the lead the majority of the first half, but over the last 8:24 of the first stanza the club could muster only two points, with those coming thanks to a pair of free throws from senior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, Mass. / Charlestown). Over that span the Seahawks turned a 25-19 deficit into a 34-27 halftime lead as Joey Mundweiler came off the bench to supply Wagner with eight points, including a pair of trifectas. Robert Morris missed its final nine shots from the field in the first half while also committing six turnovers during its drought.
In the second half the Colonials again charged out of the gates, scoring the first six points of the half to close within one, 34-33. Sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) scored the first four points for RMU during the spurt, while Lee converted a fastbreak layup and was fouled during the shot by Wagner's Mark Porter. Lee's free throw shot, however, sat on the front rim motionless before falling away, and RMU couldn't pull even. Jamal Smith then hit a jumper and James Ulrich added a fastbreak layup to push Wagner to a 38-33 lead. RMU climbed within two, 38-36, after another Lee layup and a foul by Smith, with Lee converting the old-fashioned three-point play on the second try.
However, each time Robert Morris pulled close, Wagner pulled away. Mundweiler came through with another three-pointer and Llewchean Radford scored on a fastbreak layup to again push the Seahawks to a seven-point edge, 43-36, with 12:53 to go. The closest RMU would get the rest of the way was five points.
Porter scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half to pace all scorers, while Lee finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, an assist and three steals to lead Robert Morris. Jackson tallied his third double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Coleman finished with 13 points and seven assists.
RMU now has a week off due to finals before its next contest, returning to non-conference play Saturday, Dec. 16, when it welcomes Youngstown State to the Charles L. Sewall Center for a 7:00 p.m. contest.
Notes: The shooting woes continue for Robert Morris, as the Colonials shot just 34.8 percent (23-for-66) from the field on the contest, including 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc ... Chappell shot just 3-for-12 on the contest, including 0-for-4 from three-point range ... After scoring 11 points in the first seven minutes of play Jackson finished with two the rest of the game and was neutralized by a Wagner double-team in the post ... The two teams tied in rebounding, with each club grabbing 42 ... The Colonials held a 16-11 edge on the offensive glass ... Wagner's bench outscored RMU's, 19-7 ... RMU fell to 0-2 in league play for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign and the first time under sixth-year head coach Mark Schmidt.
