Moon Township, Pa. - Central Michigan snapped the Robert Morris University men's basketball team's 11-game non-conference winning streak at the Charles L. Sewall Center Wednesday night with an 83-72 victory over the Colonials. The defeat also snaps RMU's three-game winning streak and drops the club to 5-3 overall on the 2007-08 campaign, while the Chippewas improved to 2-5.
The Colonials jumped out of the gates to a 9-0 lead by hitting each of their first three shots from the field as well as getting a pair of free throws from senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen). Junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) hit a three-pointer, while sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) and Jackson each hit jumpers. The lead eventually stretched to 14-2 in favor of Robert Morris at the 16:32 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws from senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown), and the 12-point lead for the Colonials was reached on four occasions in the first half.
RMU owned a 29-17 advantage with 8:19 left before the break thanks to a three-pointer from freshman guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep), but 15-3 spurt by Central Michigan knotted the game at 32-32 with 3:38 to play before halftime. Three-pointers from Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman keyed the run, while Marko Spica scored five points. The Chippewas took their first lead of the game, 36-34, after a pair of free throws from Nate Minnoy and eventually entered the half with a 38-36 edge.
In the second half Robert Morris couldn't close the gap as CMU opened up a 50-44 lead with 14:47 to play. The lead eventually reached double digits for the Chippewas, 69-51, thanks to a 19-9 run, and the closest the Colonials could close the gap was eight the rest of the game. Central Michigan recorded its last field goal at the 8:32 mark of the second half but finished 17-for-20 from the charity stripe the remainder of the contest.
Bitzer scored 18 points to lead four Chippewas in double figures, as Spica added 17 points, Giordan Watson 15 and Chase Simon 12. The Colonials were paced by Lee, who finished with 18 points, while Jackson added 15 and Francisco 11. Lee also added five rebounds, nine assists and two steals, while Francisco tied Lee with five rebounds while adding four steals. RMU shot just 41.1 percent (23-for-56) from the field, while Central Michigan converted 56.5 percent (26-of-46) of its shots.
Robert Morris is next in action Saturday, Dec. 8, when it opens Northeast Conference play with a 7:00 p.m. tilt against in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.).
