Chestnut Hill, Mass. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team forced 20 turnovers and held Boston College to its lowest scoring output since the 2004-05 campaign Monday night in garnering arguably its greatest victory in the 32-year history of the program as the Colonials downed the Eagles, 57-51, at the Silvio O. Conte Forum. The fourth straight win improved RMU to 11-5 on the 2007-08 campaign, while Boston College fell to 10-4.
Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) hit a pair of free throws with 1:15 remaining to give Robert Morris a 54-49 lead, and senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) helped punctuate the victory with a dunk on a feed from Langhurst with just 14 seconds to play to up the Colonial advantage to 56-49. The Eagles converted just two of their last five field goals in the final 4:48 of the contest and also turned the ball over three times.
"It's all about stops, and it's all about teamwork over talent," head coach Mike Rice said. "If we didn't play together every possession defensively, with five guys scratching and clawing and trying to secure a rebound, we wouldn't have won. Our guys found a way to win, and I'm extremely proud of them."
Senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown), in the first game of his collegiate career in his hometown, finished with 12 points while tying for game-high honors in rebounds (8) and adding two assists and three steals. Robert Morris never trailed in the second half after taking a 33-26 edge into halftime. The Colonials shot just 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from the field after the break, including an 0-for-8 performance from beyond the arc, but never let the Eagles grab the lead despite tying the game twice in the final 6:16.
"To come home and beat an ACC team like Boston College, in front of my family and friends, it feels good. It feels real good," Lee said. "We stuck together as a team tonight and played good defense, especially in the second half. That was a big key for us."
Boston College opened the contest by scoring six of the game's first nine points, but RMU used the long ball to take a 14-6 advantage with 13:54 to go before halftime. Junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) hit a pair of three-pointers, while Jackson and Langhurst each hit one. The Eagles used an 18-6 spurt to swing the lead back in their favor, 24-20, but Robert Morris responded with a 13-2 surge to take a 33-26 lead into halftime. Lee scored five points during the run, while Chappell added four points.
Junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) opened the second half scoring with a layup to give the Colonials their largest lead of the contest, 35-26, but RMU missed its next eight shots from the field, scoring its only point on a free throw from sophomore guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point). Despite the lull offensively, Boston College never took advantage, closing to one after an old fashion three-point play from Rakim Sanders closed the Eagles to within 35-34. Nwigwe broke RMU's drought with a layup with 13:24 remaining to push the Colonial lead to 38-34, and the advantage swelled to six on a pair of occasions.
Corey Raji capped a 7-1 run for Boston College to knot the score at 45-45, but Chappell's fastbreak layup gave the Colonials the lead right back, 47-45. Sanders came back to tie the score again, 47-47, with a layup, but senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.) scored on a putback with 4:50 to play to give RMU the lead for good.
Jackson led the Colonials with 15 points and added seven rebounds, while Chappell joined Lee in scoring 12 points. Chappell also added three steals as Robert Morris finished with 12 on the night and held a 21-9 edge in points off turnovers. Sanders led Boston College with 12 points, while Tyrese Rice added 10.
Robert Morris returns to Northeast Conference action to close out its three-game road trip Thursday, Jan. 10, when it visits Fairleigh Dickinson for a 7:00 p.m. tilt at the Rothman Center.
