Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team notched its sixth straight victory Thursday night with a 95-45 win over short-handed Fairleigh Dickinson at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The win improves the Colonials to 18-6 overall and 9-2 in the Northeast Conference, while the Knights fell to 6-15 overall and 2-9 in league play.     

RMU is on its longest winning streak since it won seven in a row during the 1993-94 campaign, while the 9-2 ledger in NEC games is the club's best start since 1990-91, when the Colonials also started 9-2. Robert Morris also established a school record for largest margin of victory in a league game, eclipsing the 36-point win the Colonials posted in defeating Sacred Heart, 86-50, Feb. 12, 2000.      

The Colonials scored the first eight points of the contest and never trailed, quickly stretching their lead to double-digits, 24-7, less than seven minutes into the game. Junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) scored seven points during the opening salvo, while senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown) scored a pair of layups.

The lead swelled to 53-26 at the break as Robert Morris posted a 19-4 run over the final 6:29 of the first half. Eight different Colonials scored during the spurt, including five points from junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.).   

The Knights, playing without three starters, including Sean Baptiste (injury) and Bernell Murray (team violation), scored just five points in the first 10 minutes of the second half as RMU extended its lead to 75-30 with 11:09 to go. Chappell contributed six points, while sophomore forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) added four points.  

Robert Morris took its largest advantage, 95-42, when walk-on freshman guard Cody Wilson (Dubois, Pa. / Central Christian) hit a three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining. Five Colonials reached double figures scoring, with Chappell leading the way with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. He also added a team-high five assists and two steals. Francisco added 13 points for the Colonials, while senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) had 12, freshman guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) a career-high 11 and Lee 10. Wallace also added four assists and three steals, while Jackson recorded a career-high five steals. 

Manny Ubilla paced FDU with 17 points, including 14 in the first half, while Eric Hazard contributed 10. Robert Morris posted a shooting percentage of 52.7 percent (39-for-74), while the Knights converted just 34 percent (17-for-50) of their shots. The Colonials also held a 46-26 edge in rebounding.  

Robert Morris, winners of 11 of its last 12 games and 13 of its last 15, looks to match its longest winning streak in 14 years Saturday when it hosts Long Island for a 7:00 p.m. tilt at the Sewall Center.