Hackensack, N.J. - Senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) scored 18 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to help lead the Robert Morris University men's basketball team to its fifth straight victory Thursday night with a 64-59 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Stratis Arena. The win improves the Colonials to 12-5 overall on the 2007-08 campaign, including 3-1 in Northeast Conference play, while the Knights fell to 5-8 overall and 1-2 in league play.
In a game that featured 21 lead changes and seven ties, RMU took its final lead of the game when junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) hit a pair of free throws with just three minutes to play to give the Colonials a 60-59 edge. Chappell's pair from the charity stripe was part of an 8-3 run to close the game that gave Robert Morris the victory. Freshman guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) and Lee also each ht a pair from the free-throw line, while FDU missed its last six shots from the floor while turning the ball over twice.
The largest lead either club had on the night was six, when the Colonials opened up a 39-33 lead with 13:46 to play after Wallace converted a fastbreak layup on a feed from sophomore forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest). Head Coach Tom Green of Fairleigh Dickinson called a timeout, and the Knights responded with an 11-2 surge to take a 44-41 lead. Sean Baptiste scored four points during the spurt, while Eric Hazard capped it with a long jumper. Four different times in the final 9:44 of play the Knights held a three-point advantage, but FDU could never stretch its lead any further as RMU came back with big buckets to keep the game close.
Lee came up with most of those baskets, including a jumper with 3:24 remaining to pull Robert Morris within one, 59-58. Bernell Murray missed a three-pointer on FDU's next possession, and Chappell came down with the defensive rebound but was fouled by Baptiste. Chappell sank both ends of the one-on-one to give the Colonials the lead for good.
The first half featured 14 lead changes and two ties, with neither club holding more than a three-point lead. Robert Morris held a 22-19 edge after a tip-in from senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.) and also owned a 26-25 advantage with less than 30 seconds to go in the first stanza and the Colonials holding for the last shot. Senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen), however, had his shot blocked by Baptiste, and Manny Ubilla drained a three-pointer as time expired in the first half to send the Knights to a 28-26 halftime edge.
Lee finished 8-for-12 shooting from the field and also added five rebounds, three assists and five steals, while Chappell contributed 14 points, five assists and three steals. Ubilla paced Fairleigh Dickinson with 17 points, while Murray added 16 and Baptiste 13. The Knights, however, committed 22 turnovers as RMU recorded 13 steals.
RMU will search for its sixth straight win Sunday, Jan. 13, when it welcomes Sacred Heart to the Charles L. Sewall Center for a 3:00 p.m. tilt that will be televised live on FSN Pittsburgh.
