Piscataway, N.J. - Rutgers opened the second half on a 19-7 run en route to a 69-55 victory over the Robert Morris University men's basketball team Friday night at the RAC as part of the Garden State Challenge. The Colonials fall to 1-2 on the 2008-09 campaign with the loss, while the Scarlet Knights improve to 3-0.
Nursing a 29-25 edge at intermission, Earl Pettis opened the scoring in the second half by converting a three-point play due to a foul on sophomore guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep). Mike Rosario led Rutgers during the surge out of halftime with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, and RMU was never able to get its deficit into single digits the rest of the game, closing to within 12 on a pair of occasions in the final three minutes.
Robert Morris jumped out to a 5-0 advantage to start the contest as senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) hit a three-pointer, while junior forward Josiah Whitehead (Portsmouth, Va. / Cecil C.C.) converted a layup off a steal. Rosario got the Scarlet Knights on the board with a trifecta, but the Colonials stretched their lead to 9-3 after a jumper from junior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) and a layup from junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology).
Rosario scored a bucket in the paint with 13 minutes remaining in the first half to close Rutgers within four, 9-5, but after a dunk from Pettis on a fastbreak junior guard sophomore Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) drained a three-pointer to push the Colonial advantage to 12-7.
The Scarlet Knights were able to grab their first lead of the contest, 14-13, with 8:27 to go in the first half on a layup from Rosario, but Langhurst followed a layup from Mike Coburn with another trifecta to knot the score, 16-16, at the 7:38 mark of the first half. J.R. Inman helped Rutgers grab the lead back, 18-16, with a jumper, which started the Scarlet Knights on a 13-9 spurt to close the half.
Rosario led all scorers in the contest with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including a 5-for-12 performance from beyond the arc. He was the only Scarlet Knight to finish in double figures. The Colonials were led by Francisco, who finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) and Whitehead each finished with 10 points for Robert Morris.
In his Colonial debut, Robinson finished with seven points and a block. Hamaday Ndiaye, despite scoring just two points for Rutgers, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked eight shots. Chappell took home team-high honors in rebounds for RMU with eight, while Whitehead finished with six.
Robert Morris concludes play in the Garden State Challenge Saturday, Nov. 22, with a 6:00 p.m. tilt against Marist at the RAC.
