Moon Township, Pa. - For the second straight game the Robert Morris University men's basketball team used a second-half run to put away its opponent, as a 24-3 spurt by the Colonials turned a four-point deficit into a 55-38 lead with 6:39 to play en route to a 59-44 win over Monmouth Thursday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The victory improved RMU to 9-5 overall on the 2007-08 campaign and knotted the club's Northeast Conference record at 1-1, while the Hawks fell to 3-11 overall and 0-2 in league play.
Senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) ignited the run with a three-pointer and scored five points during the spurt, as did junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest), while senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.) and sophomore forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) each hit layups. Monmouth couldn't inch any closer as the Hawks shot just 28 percent (7-for-25) from the field in the second half and 32.1 percent (17-for-53) overall.
The Hawks started the game hot, converting five of their first six field goals to jump out to a 13-5 lead. Jhamar Youngblood scored eight points for Monmouth, including a pair of three-pointers. Robert Morris was able to knot the game, 19-19, with 6:40 left before halftime on a jumper from sophomore guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point), but Youngblood came back with another three-pointer to push Monmouth in front, 22-19. The Hawks held the lead the entire first half until a layup in the paint with 3:09 remaining before the break from Chappell gave RMU its first lead, 23-22.
Robert Morris eventually entered halftime with a 29-25 advantage, but three-pointers from Whitney Coleman and Youngblood out of the second-half gates pushed the Hawks back in front, 31-29. Monmouth eventually pushed its lead to 35-31 after a layup from Alex Nunner before the Colonials took control with their game-deciding run.
Chappell led four Colonials in double figures with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting and also added three rebounds and four assists, while Lee contributed 12 points and six assists and senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) and junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) each chipped in 10 points. Youngblood took home game-high honors with 18 points but finished with just five in the second half, while Coleman added 10 for the Hawks.
RMU is next in action Saturday, Jan. 5, when it visits Quinnipiac for a contest that will be the first NEC regular-season game to be broadcast nationally, as the 4:00 p.m. tilt will be carried live by ESPNU.
