Moon Township, Pa. - St. Francis (N.Y.) converted 17 of its 25 attempts from beyond the three-point arc Thursday night to help boost the Terriers to an 87-79 victory over the Robert Morris University men's basketball team at the Charles L. Sewall Center in the Northeast Conference opener for both clubs.
The Colonials fall to 3-4 overall on the 2008-09 season, including 0-1 in league action, while the Terriers improve to 2-4 overall and 1-0 in the NEC.
Freshman guard Stefan Perunicic scored 20 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 28 points in the contest, hitting 10 of his 14 shots from the floor, including a 7-for-11 performance from long range. He was one of four Terriers to hit at least a pair of three-pointers in the game, as Kayode Ayeni and Jamaal Womack each hit three, while Ricky Cadell buried a pair.
Perunicic hit a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes of the game to give St. Francis (N.Y.) an early 11-5 advantage, but a 15-2 surge pushed the Colonials in front, 20-13, with 12:02 to play before halftime.
Junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) hit a pair of his own from beyond the arc, while senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) contributed four points.
Sophomore guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) capped the run with a three-pointer, but the Terriers fought back to take a 28-27 edge on the strength of a 14-7 spurt. Cadell and Perunicic each hit three-pointers, while John Gooden gave St. Francis (N.Y.) the lead back with an old-fashion three-point play.
RMU surged in front, 30-28, thanks to a jumper from senior forward Ifeanyi Ehirim (Toronto, Ontario / Eldon Academy Prep) and a free throw from Chappell, but another Perunicic trifecta pushed the Terriers back into the lead, 32-30. St. Francis (N.Y.) entered the break with a 43-40 advantage and took the lead for good with 18 minutes remaining when Perunicic buried another three-pointer.
The biggest advantage for the Terriers came with 3:11 to go, 75-64, after a three-pointer from Justin Newton, but the Colonials closed to within four on three different occasions in the final 1:13 of action before St. Francis (N.Y.) sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
In addition to the 28 points from Perunicic, Cadell finished with 19 for the Terriers, while Ayeni contributed 14 points and seven rebounds and Womack 11 points and four assists off the bench.
The Colonials were paced by Chappell, who finished with 22 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while junior forward Josiah Whitehead (Portsmouth, Va. / Cecil C.C.) came off the bench to supply 12 points. Langhurst and junior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) each finished with 11 points for RMU.
Robert Morris returns to the Sewall Center Saturday, Dec. 6, to complete a two-game homestand in NEC play by hosting Long Island for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
