Loretto, Pa. - Bolstered by a shooting percentage of 74.1 percent (20-for-27) in the second half, the Robert Morris University men's basketball team cruised to a 94-75 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) Tuesday night at DeGol Arena in Loretto, Pa. The win improved the Colonials to 13-5 overall on the 2006-07 campaign, including 5-4 in Northeast Conference play.

RMU quickly jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the contest as senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) started with a flurry, scoring eight points in the first three minutes of play on a pair of three-pointers and a jumper. The Red Flash used a 9-2 spurt to close their deficit to two, 14-12, after a layup from Devin Sweetney, and the majority of the first half remained a close affair as both teams combined to shoot 50 percent (29-for-58) from the floor.

Sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) hit a trifecta at the 10:53 mark of the first half to give the Colonials a 19-12 edge, but Saint Francis (Pa.) used a 12-6 surge to pull within one, 25-24, with 6:59 left before the break. Sweetney and Cale Nelson each hit three-pointers for the Red Flash during the run. Every time SFU would pull close, however, Robert Morris had an answer. Jackson's third three-pointer of the first half gave the Colonials a 33-28 advantage, and five straight points from senior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, Mass. / Charlestown) upped the RMU lead to 38-33 with 1:34 to play before the break. Robert Morris eventually entered halftime with a 41-36 edge as Jackson scored 12 first-half points to lead the way.

In the second half the Colonials pushed their lead to eight on a pair of occasions in the first five minutes of action, but the Red Flash closed their deficit to one with 15:09 to play, 51-50, thanks to a 7-0 spurt that saw Chris Berry hit a pair of jumpers and Bassirou Dieng convert a three-point play. Coleman again came through for Robert Morris, hitting a three-pointer to push RMU to a 54-50 lead. The shot from long range started the Colonials on a decisive 26-6 run that helped Robert Morris take control of the game, 77-57, with 8:31 to go. During the spurt Jackson scored 10 points, while junior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) chipped in with eight points. Robert Morris stretched its lead to as many as 26 before settling for the 19-point win.

For the first time in over 16 years three Colonials finished with at least 20 points in a road game, as Jackson scored 28 points, Lee 23 and Coleman 20. Combined the trio hit on 27 of their 41 field goal attempts, a success rate of 65.9 percent. Jackson, Lee and Coleman were also a combined 9-for-12 (75 percent) from beyond the arc as RMU established a season high in three-point field goals with 13. Chappell added 18 points for Robert Morris while adding a career high seven assists to go along with four steals, while Coleman had seven assists and Lee four. As a club the Colonials shot 61.4 percent (35-for-57), also a season high.

Robert Morris closes out its two-game road swing when it travels to West Long Branch, N.J., for a 7:00 p.m. tilt at 2006-07 NEC preseason favorite Monmouth Saturday, Jan. 27.

Notes: The 94 points marks the most by an RMU club in an NEC game under sixth-year head coach Mark Schmidt and is the most points in a league road contest since a 97-92 win @ St. Francis (N.Y.) (2/24/00) ... The last trio to score at least 20 points in a game came Feb. 19, 2000, when Kevin Covert (24), Steve Pettyjohn (23) and Gene Nabors (20) turned the trick in a 102-99 overtime loss to Quinnipiac at the Charles L. Sewall Center, a span of 195 games ... In road contests former Colonials Myron Walker, Andre Boyd and Ricky Cannon scored 23, 22 and 22 points, respectively, in a 103-98 win @ Wagner (1/12/91), a span of 241 contests ... The Colonials finished with 20 assists on the night against 11 turnovers and added four blocks and nine steals ... The two clubs tied in rebounding, 25-25 ... Coleman tied for team-high honors in rebounds with a season high five, while Lee also added five caroms ... Coleman eclipsed the 900-point plateau in the win, as his 20 points pushed his career total to 908, which ranks 16th all-time at Robert Morris ... Coleman's seven assists also moved into sixth place at RMU for career dimes with 387 ... Jackson has scored at least 20 points in the last four games, the second time this season he has had a streak of four straight 20+ point scoring games ... Robert Morris has shot 50.8 percent (286-for-563) from the field in its last 10 games.