Moon Township, Pa. - Sacred Heart shot 65.4 percent (17-for-26) from the field in the second half and used a 17-2 run to pull away from the Robert Morris University men's basketball team Sunday afternoon for an 82-69 win at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The defeat snaps a five-game winning streak for the Colonials and drops the club to 12-6 overall, including 3-2 in Northeast Conference play, while the Pioneers improved to 7-10 overall and 4-2 in league action.
With the score knotted at 33-33 coming out of halftime, RMU jumped ahead, 37-34, after a dunk from senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) and a jumper from senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown). Sacred Heart answered with a three-pointer from Drew Shubik, which started a 17-2 surge that gave the Pioneers a 51-39 advantage. Brice Brooks hit a pair of layups and Chauncey Hardy hit a three-pointer for Sacred Heart during its spurt.
Robert Morris was able to whittle its deficit to 55-47 with 9:57 remaining after a three-pointer from junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.), but Ryan Litke answered Francisco's trifecta with one of his own to push the Pioneer lead back to double digits, 58-47. Sacred Heart converted six of its 10 opportunities from long range in the second half and finished 11-for-24 (45.8 percent) for the game. Sacred Heart took its largest lead of the contest, 69-52, with 4:52 to go when Litke drained his fifth three-pointer of the game.
The first half featured nine lead changes and six ties, with sophomore guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) hitting a layup as time expired before the break to tie the score, 33-33. Robert Morris scored the first four points of the game for its biggest lead, while Sacred Heart owned a 25-20 edge with 7:18 to go before halftime after a jumper from Luke Granato. The Colonials closed out the first half on an 13-8 run to tie the game as sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) scored five points and Jackson scored four points.
Litke took home game-high honors with 23 points off the bench for Sacred Heart, connecting on eight of his 12 shots from the floor, including a 5-for-8 performance from beyond the arc. Brooks added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Pioneers, while Hardy chipped in with 13. The Colonials were paced by Jackson, who recorded his third double-double of the year and 24th of his career with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Lee added 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Robert Morris is next in action Saturday, Jan. 19, when it travels to Loretto, Pa.., for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.).
