Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team had its three-game road winning streak snapped Friday night with an 86-70 loss to crosstown rival Duquesne at the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Colonials, who tied a season-high with 25 turnovers, fell to 7-5 overall on the 2007-08 campaign, while the Dukes improved to 8-3.
Nursing a 51-49 edge with 12:55 to play, the Colonials allowed Duquesne to surge in front, 66-54, on the strength of a 17-3 run. Aaron Jackson hit a pair of three-pointers for the Dukes, while Reggie Jackson capped the salvo with an alley-oop pass for a Gary Tucker dunk with 8:30 to play. RMU quickly closed its deficit to eight, 66-58, with 7:12 remaining thanks to four straight points from senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown), and the Colonials were within seven on a pair of occasions in the last five minutes before Duquesne sealed the win at the free-throw line. Kojo Mensah, who led all scorers with 22 points, finished 11-for-11 from the charity stripe, including a 4-for-4 performance in the last 2:46.
In a first half that saw the lead change hands five times, Robert Morris was down just two at the break, 39-37, thanks to 11 points from junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest). RMU jumped out to leads of 6-2 and 14-9 in the opening minutes as Chappell scored four points and Lee and freshman guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) each added three points. Duquesne surged to a 24-18 lead thanks to a 15-4 spurt, and the Dukes held a pair of six-point advantages in the first half before Lee's three-pointer with 22 seconds before the break closed the Colonials to within 39-37.
Layups from Reggie Jackson and Damian Saunders to open the second half gave the Dukes a 43-37 lead, but RMU climbed back in front, 48-45, thanks to the long ball. Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) and Chappell each hit three-pointers to propel an 11-2 run to give the Colonials a 48-45 edge. Langhurst's jumper with 12:55 to go gave Robert Morris a 51-49 lead before Duquesne took control with its run.
Lee and Chappell each scored 17 points for RMU, while Langhurst added 11 and senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) 10. As well as Mensah scoring 22 for the Dukes, Aaron Jackson added 16, Reggie Jackson 14 and Shawn James 13. Robert Morris shot just 33.3 percent (13-for-39) from the field in the second half, while Duquesne converted 65.4 percent (17-for-26) of its shots after the break. Lee added six rebounds, eight assists and three steals for Robert Morris, all team highs, while Langhurst finished with a career-high five rebounds and five assists.
The Colonials are back in action Sunday, Dec. 30, when they close out the 2007 calendar year with a 7:00 p.m. tilt against Lafayette at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
