Youngstown, Ohio - Despite just two field goals in the last 10:10 of action, the Robert Morris University men's basketball team snapped a two-game slide Monday night with a 74-71 victory over Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center. The win, the third straight on the road for the Colonials, improved RMU to 6-4 overall on the 2007-08 campaign, while the Penguins fell to 3-6.
Nursing a 72-70 lead with 1:01 to play, Jack Liles had an opportunity to tie the game after getting sent to the free-throw line after a foul by senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown). Liles missed both ends, however, and RMU came up with the rebound. A missed jumper by sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) led to a second chance for Youngstown State, but Vytas Sulskis was called for traveling with 25 seconds remaining. Forced to foul, the Penguins sent junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) to the free-throw line, who connected on one of his two opportunities to up the Colonial advantage to 73-70.
Byron Davis tried to tie the game with a three-pointer but was off the mark, but Sulskis came down with the offensive rebound and was fouled by Chappell. Sulskis hit just one of his two free throws to pull YSU within 73-71, and senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) was fouled pulling down the rebound on the missed attempt. Jackson hit the front end of his two free throws to give Robert Morris a 74-71 edge, and another three-pointer by Davis as time expired was off the mark.
RMU had taken its biggest lead of the game, 66-48, with 10:10 remaining after a free throw by Langhurst, but the Penguins closed the game on a 23-8 run. Chappell, returning to action after a two-game suspension, scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half as the Colonials stretched a 38-31 halftime lead to 54-38 in the opening minutes after the break thanks to a 16-7 run. Lee scored seven points during the salvo, while Chappell added four points. Youngstown State closed its deficit to 11 on two occasions in the second half before RMU's 7-0 spurt gave the club its largest lead of the evening.
In the first half RMU opened up a 27-13 lead at the 10:58 mark thanks to a 9-0 run as Langhurst hit a pair of three-pointers and junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) added another. The Penguins closed to within eight, 27-19, after a three-pointer from Sulskis, but the Colonials kept their lead in double digits most of the first half before YSU closed to within 38-31 at the break.
Lee led five players in double figures for Robert Morris, hitting on seven of his 12 field goals for 16 points while adding 11 rebounds and nine assists. Chappell finished with 13 points, while Langhurst and Francisco each added 12 and Jackson 10. Lee also added four steals. Davis scored 20 points for Youngstown State to take home game-high honors, while Sulskis contributed 13 points.
Robert Morris is next in action Wednesday, Dec. 19, when it returns home to the Charles L. Sewall Center to host Canisius for a 7:00 p.m. non-conference game.
