Moon Township, Pa. - Seven different Colonials scored at least eight points as the Robert Morris University men's basketball team garnered an 81-70 victory over Long Island Saturday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The win evens RMU's records at 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the Northeast Conference, while the Blackbirds fell to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.
LIU jumped out to a 4-0 advantage early in the contest before a 14-4 spurt pushed Robert Morris in front, 14-8. Five different Colonials scored during the run, including four points from junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) and three-pointers from Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) and Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.).
The Blackbirds answered with an 8-1 surge to take a 16-15 lead with 12:28 left before halftime as Michael Culpo came off the bench to supply Long Island with a pair of three-pointers.
Robinson hit the front end of a pair of free throws to knot the game, 16-16, which started a 16-4 Colonial run to give RMU its biggest lead of the half, 32-20, with 4:30 to play before the break. Junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) and Robinson each scored four points, while senior forward Ifeanyi Ehirim (Toronto, Ontario / Eldon Academy Prep) capped the run with a dunk.
Long Island closed its deficit to seven on a pair of occasions in the final five minutes of the half before Robert Morris entered intermission with a 39-27 lead.
After the break the Blackbirds opened the second half on an 8-2 run to close within six, 41-35, as Aurimas Adomaitis scored three points and Kyle Johnson hit a three-pointer, but RMU pushed its lead back to double digits, 47-36, after a layup from junior Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point).
Back-to-back three-pointers from Francisco gave the Colonials a 62-47 advantage with 8:51 remaining, and Nwigwe's jumper gave Robert Morris its biggest lead of the night, 67-51.
LIU trimmed its deficit to 69-60 with just 3:22 to go after a three-pointer from Kyle Johnson to cap a 9-2 run, but senior guard Jeremy Chappell's (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) three-pointer with exactly three minutes to play helped seal the victory.
Robinson led four Colonials in double figures scoring with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Wallace and Langhurst each finished with 13 points. Nwigwe finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Francisco and Chappell each finished with nine points, while Whitehead recorded eight points and six rebounds.
Long Island was led by Adomaitis, who finished with a game-high 17 points while pulling down six caroms. Culpo and Johnson each finished with 14 points, while Julian Boyd supplied 11 points off the bench for the Blackbirds. Jaytornah Wisseh of Long Island was held to 1-of-14 shooting on the night and finished with just six points but recorded five assists and a game-high four steals.
Robert Morris is now off for a week due to final exams and will return to non-conference action Sunday, Dec. 14, with a 1:00 p.m. tilt at Miami. It marks the start of a three-game road swing, as the Colonials will also visit Lafayette (Dec. 17) and Central Michigan (Dec. 20).
