Fairfield, Conn. - Senior guard Jeremy Chappell's (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) jumper with 2.1 seconds left in overtime helped lift the Robert Morris University men's basketball to a 72-70 win at Sacred Heart Saturday night at the William H. Pitt Center.
The win completed a perfect 3-0 road trip, is RMU's fourth straight and improves the club to 10-7 overall, including 5-1 in Northeast Conference play, while the Pioneers fell to 5-10 overall and 3-3 in league play. The win also marked the 12th straight on the road in NEC play for the Colonials.
Chappell's jumper in the extra frame helped the Colonials climb out of an 11-point deficit with 3:36 to play in regulation after Robert Morris had taken a 15-point lead in the first half. Ryan Litke's fourth three-pointer of the game gave the Pioneers a 61-50 edge, but RMU reeled off 11 straight points to send the game into overtime.
Junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) was key during the run for the Colonials, scoring six straight points to close Robert Morris to within five, 61-56, with two minutes remaining in regulation.
Ryon Howard missed a three-pointer on SHU's next possession, and despite an offensive rebound by Joey Henley, sophomore guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) came up with a steal for the Colonials.
Junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) drilled a three-pointer with 1:13 to play in the second half to close RMU to within 61-59, and after a missed jumper from Henley, senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) came up with the defensive rebound with 39 seconds to go.
RMU called timeout, and out of the timeout Wallace's baseline layup was off the mark, but Chappell grabbed the offensive board and put it back to tie the game with just nine seconds to go. Litke's three-pointer at the end of regulation was off the mark, sending the game to overtime.
Sacred Heart scored first in the extra frame with a layup from Henley, but Langhurst's jumper tied the game, 63-63. Corey Hassan and Chappell traded jumpers, and Chappell's layup with 2:23 to go in overtime gave the Colonials a 67-65 advantage. Henley responded with a layup and was fouled during the play by Robinson, with Henley converting the three-point play to push the Pioneers back on top, 68-67.
Langhurst came back with a driving layup to push Robert Morris back in front, 69-68, and after a missed three-pointer by Chauncey Hardy, Langhurst was fouled by Howard with 35 seconds to play. He hit the back end of a pair at the charity stripe to give the Colonials a 70-68 advantage, but the score was tied for the fifth time when Howard hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds remaining after a foul by Wallace.
The Pioneers called a timeout, and out of the timeout Howard almost picked the pocket of Chappell, but RMU's co-captain scooped up the ball and buried a 15-foot jumper with 2.1 seconds to go. Hassan's three-quarter of the court shot was off the mark as the buzzer sounded, giving RMU the win.
Robert Morris had taken a 15-point lead in the first half by shooting 48.1 percent (13-for-27) from the field before halftime, but Sacred Heart trimmed its deficit to nine at the break, 34-25. The Pioneers took their first lead, 49-48, with 8:59 to play in regulation on a Litke three-pointer and eventually stretched their lead to 11 before Robert Morris stormed back.
Chappell scored 19 points to lead the Colonials, while Langhurst added 16, Robinson 13 and junior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) 10 points. Robinson posted a game-high nine rebounds and also added an assist, block and steal, while Chappell and Langhurst each finished with four assists.
Henley took home game-high honors with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting for Sacred Heart, while Hassan scored 17 points, Litke 12 and Hardy 10. Henley and Howard each grabbed seven boards for the Pioneers.
Robert Morris returns to the Charles L. Sewall Center for its next tilt, hosting Central Connecticut State Thursday, Jan. 15, for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
