Philadelphia, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday afternoon with a 72-53 victory over Howard in the third-place game of the Liberty Bracket as part of The Philly Hoop Group Classic at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa. The win improved the Colonials to 3-2 overall on the 2007-08 campaign, while the Bison fell to 2-4. Thanks to its win over Howard, RMU posted a record of 2-2 in the inaugural Philly Hoop Group Classic.
Eugene Myatt opened the game's scoring with a jumper to give the Bison a 2-0 lead, but sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst's (Willard, Ohio / Willard) three-pointer started the Colonials on an 18-2 spurt. Senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) scored seven points during the opening salvo, while senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) added six points. The lead swelled to 27-10 in favor of RMU thanks to the outside shooting of junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.), who drained a trio of three-pointers. Robert Morris also played solid defense during its run, forcing Howard into 11 turnovers while holding the Bison to one field goal over a 12-minute stretch.
Howard used a 14-5 run to close its deficit to 34-26 after Kandi Mukole hit a three-pointer with just 50 seconds left before the break. Mukole scored seven points for the Bison to help close the gap, but sophomore forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) converted a layup in the lane on a feed from Lee to help send Robert Morris into halftime with a 36-26 edge. Howard committed 17 turnovers in the first half and finished just 7-for-19 shooting (36.8 percent), while the Colonials recorded 11 steals and 10 assists on their 14 field goals before the break.
RMU opened up a 43-28 lead in the opening minutes of the second half as Jackson scored five points, including a three-pointer, and the Colonial advantage reached 50-30 thanks to five points from junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) with 14:24 to play. Chappell scored nine of his 11 points after halftime, and the biggest lead Robert Morris had after the break was 27 after freshman forward Will Royal (Harrisburg, Pa. / Harmony Community Prep) hit a jumper on a feed from sophomore guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) with 4:20 remaining.
Jackson and Lee led the Colonials with 15 points each, while Jackson posted 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and 23rd of his career. Chappell and Francisco each added 11 points for Robert Morris. Howard was led by Myatt and Mukole, who scored 18 and 14 points, respectively. Lee converted seven of his 11 shots from the field and added five assists and four steals, while Jackson notched three assists and four steals.
Robert Morris continues its six-game road swing Thursday, Nov. 29, when it travels to Miami, Fla., for a 7:00 p.m. contest against Florida International at Pharmed Arena.
