Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball garnered its eighth straight win Thursday night with a 72-47 win over Bryant in a non-conference game at the Charles L. Sewall Center. RMU improves to 14-7 overall on the 2008-09 season with the victory, while the Bulldogs fall to 4-17.
Bryant jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a three-pointer from Andrew Lyell and a jumper in the paint from Nick Pontes, but a three-pointer from junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) and a jumper from senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) tied the score, 5-5, with 16:07 remaining in the first half.
RMU took its first lead of the game, 8-5, on a three-pointer from sophomore guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep), but the Bulldogs came back to tie it, 8-8, on a three-point play by Jerrann Wright. Robert Morris took control a few minutes later, using a 24-6 spurt to turn a 10-10 tie into a 34-16 lead with 4:31 to play before halftime.
Junior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) started the surge with a jumper and scored six points during the run, while Langhurst added six points and Francisco five.
Francisco gave the Colonials a 41-21 lead with a three-pointer and scored 10 points before intermission as the Colonials entered the break with a 41-22 advantage. Robert Morris shot 68.2 percent (15-for-22) from the field in the first half, while the Bulldogs converted just eight of their 24 attempts (33.2 percent).
In the opening minutes of the second half the Colonials quickly stretched their lead to 48-22 thanks to five points from Langhurst and a layup from junior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest). A jumper from junior forward Josiah Whitehead (Portsmouth, Va. / Cecil C.C.) at the 14:08 mark of the second half gave RMU a 56-26 edge.
Bryant used a 10-1 surge to trim its deficit to 57-36 as Adam Parzych and Sam LeClerc each hit three-pointers, and a trifecta from Cecil Gresham, his first field of the contest, cut RMU's advantage to 59-39 with 7:32 to go.
Robert Morris answered with a 10-2 run to take a 69-41 lead with 3:14 to go as junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) scored four points and Green and senior forward Ifeanyi Ehirim (Toronto, Ontario / Eldon Academy Prep) each scored three points.
Langhurst hit six of his eight shots from the field, including a 4-for-6 showing from long range, to take home game-high honors with 17 points. He also added two assists and a steal. Francisco scored all 10 of his points in the first half, while Nwigwe contributed 10 points, four rebounds and two steals off the bench.
Pontes scored 10 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Wright, Parzych and LeClerc each scored seven points off the bench for Bryant.
Robert Morris returns to Northeast Conference play and closes out the month of January Saturday evening with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Monmouth at the Sewall Center.
