Brooklyn, N.Y. - Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) hit a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining and a three-pointer at the buzzer by LIU's Jaytornah Wisseh fell short as the Robert Morris University men's basketball team garnered a 71-68 victory over Long Island at the Wellness, Athletic & Recreation Center Saturday afternoon to close out the 2007-08 regular season.
RMU extended its school record winning streak to 13 games with the victory and improved to 25-6 overall and 16-2 in Northeast Conference play, while the Blackbirds fell to 15-14 overall and 7-11 in conference action.
The flurry in the closing seconds was part of an exciting final minute of action, as the Colonials owned a nine-point lead with 1:16 to play, only to watch Long Island make a game of it.
Junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) gave Robert Morris a 66-57 lead after a pair of free throws, but Eugene Kotorobai drilled a three-pointer with exactly one minute left to close the Blackbirds within 66-60. On the ensuing inbounds pass, the Colonials were whistled for a five-second violation, turning the ball back over to Long Island.
Senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) fouled Wisseh going up for a shot with 58.6 seconds to go, and Wisseh hit both ends of his opportunities to pull the Blackbirds within 66-62. RMU was successful on its next inbounds pass, with Langhurst getting fouled by David Hicks with 57 seconds remaining.
Langhurst hit both of his free throws to up the Robert Morris advantage to 68-62, but Wisseh was again fouled and sent to the line with 49 seconds to go. Wisseh hit both of his free throws, and on the next inbound David Hicks stole an errant pass by junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest).
Hicks was fouled going for a layup by senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown), and he converted both of his shots from the free-throw line to pull LIU within two, 68-66. The Blackbirds held off the full-court pressure and allowed RMU a shot at the basket, and Jackson was fouled by Hicks underneath with 22 seconds remaining. Jackson, however, hit just one of his two free throws to give RMU a 69-66 lead.
Kotorobai passed on an open three-pointer on the next possession for the Blackbirds and instead fed the ball underneath to Ron Manigault, who converted a layup to make it a one-point game, 69-68. Langhurst was then fouled with 6.6 seconds to play, and he helped seal the win by hitting both of his free throws.
Robert Morris trailed, 34-30, at halftime, but used a 10-2 spurt after the break to take a 40-36 lead with 15:46 left in the second half. Sophomore guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) scored five points during the surge for the Colonials. RMU kept the lead the majority of the second half, despite Long Island tying the contest three more times and taking a two-point lead, 45-43, with 12:07 remaining.
However, an 11-2 spurt by the Colonials with under five minutes to play helped turn a 55-55 deadlock into a 66-57 RMU advantage with 1:16 to go. Junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Cincinnati) hit a jumper, while freshman guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) added a layup. Lee also contributed five points, including a three-pointer with 1:46 remaining.
Langhurst and Chappell each scored 13 points to pace Robert Morris, while Lee added 12 points and Jackson and Nwigwe 11 each. Lee grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Jackson and Nwigwe each recorded seven caroms. Wisseh scored a game-high 21 points for Long Island despite converting just five of his 17 shots from the field, while Kotorobai added 18 points for the Blackbirds.
RMU opens the 2008 NEC Tournament by hosting either Monmouth or Saint Francis (Pa.) Thursday, March 6, for a 7:00 p.m. quarterfinal tilt at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
