Moon Township, Pa. - Forward Andre Harris scored 28 of his career high 34 points in the second half as Fairleigh Dickinson overcame a one-point halftime deficit to send the Robert Morris University men's basketball team to its second consecutive loss Thursday night, 84-79, at the Sewall Center. The loss drops RMU to 13-7 overall and 5-6 in the Northeast Conference, while the Knights improved to 11-10 and 6-4 in league play.
FDU jumped out of the gates to a 10-6 lead after jumper's from Harris and Michael Peeples and eventually stretched its lead to seven, 22-15, as Cameron Tyler scored four points, Sean Baptiste added three and Manny Ubilla hit a three-pointer. The Colonials clawed back to tie the game at 22-22 with 8:24 to play in the first half thanks to a jumper from freshman guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point), an old-fashion three-point play from senior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, Mass. / Charlestown) and a jumper from sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest).
The two clubs traded leads until Robert Morris hung a 6-0 spurt on Fairleigh Dickinson to take a 40-34 edge that was fueled by four points from Coleman and another jumper from Chappell. However, the Knights responded with an 8-2 surge to tie the game at 42-42 as Eric Hazard and Ubilla hit trifecta's. With RMU holding a 45-43 edge with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half, senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) scored on a dunk with 10 ticks left on the clock to give the Colonials a 47-43 advantage, but Ubilla came back and drained a three-pointer as time expired in the first half to pull FDU within one at the break, 47-46.
In the second half Harris took over, hitting shots all over the floor, including two from beyond the arc. His jumper with 14:21 to play gave the Knights a 61-55 lead, and his layup with 11:45 to go kept Fairleigh Dickinson ahead by six, 65-59. Robert Morris responded to take a 69-67 lead on the strength of a 10-2 surge that was fueled by five points from Chappell. His dunk after a steal by Jackson at center court gave RMU the lead, but after an FDU timeout Ubilla was fouled and hit two free throws to tie the score. 69-69. The back-and-forth affair continued as the game featured 17 ties, but the Colonials clawed in front, 77-76, on a layup from junior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) with 3:36 to go.
Harris tied the game at 77-77 by hitting one of two free throws after a foul by senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.), and his free throw with 42 seconds to play gave the Knights the lead for good, 78-77. Jackson missed a jumper in the paint with 27 seconds remaining, and Ubilla hit both of his free throws to push FDU to an 80-77 advantage.
Chappell led Robert Morris with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Jackson added 18 and Coleman 14 points. Harris finished with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and added 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Ubilla finished with 18 points and Peeples and Sean Baptiste each finished with 10 points.
Robert Morris closes out a two-game homestand Saturday, Feb. 3, when it welcomes in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) to the Sewall Center for a 3:30 p.m. tilt that will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh.
