Moon Township, Pa. - Senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) led three Colonials in double figures scoring with a game-high 23 points as the Robert Morris University men's basketball team snapped a two-game slide with a 78-60 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) in a Northeast Conference game Saturday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Colonials improve to 7-7 overall with the win, including 2-1 in the NEC, while the Red Flash drop to 4-9 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Kyle Jackson opened the game's scoring with a layup to give Saint Francis (Pa.) an early 2-0 edge, but Chappell answered with a three-pointer. Mislav Jukic came back with a bucket in the paint to push the Red Flash back in front, 4-3, but an 11-1 surge gave RMU the lead for good, 14-5.
Chappell contributed five points during the run, while senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) and junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) each hit baskets.
Saint Francis (Pa.) trimmed its deficit to three, 19-16, on the strength of the long ball, as Steve Profeta and Cale Nelson hit back-to-back three-pointers, while a pair of free throws from Jackson made it a one-possession game with 10:26 to play before halftime.
Robert Morris rallied with a 22-10 spurt to push its advantage to 41-26 at the 1:47 mark of the first half as Chappell hit a pair of three-pointers and the inside trio of Robinson and junior forwards Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) and Josiah Whitehead (Portsmouth, Va. / Cecil C.C.) each scored four points.
The Colonials eventually entered the break with a 44-31 lead, and, despite the Red Flash scoring six of the first eight points in the second half, RMU used an 11-2 run to take a 57-39 lead with 14:07 to play. Five different Colonials scored during the surge, including four points from Chappell and three from Francisco.
A jumper by junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) with 9:26 remaining gave Robert Morris its biggest lead of the game, 66-45, but Saint Francis (Pa.) closed to within 68-55 with a 10-2 run with 4:14 to go. However, Chappell and Robinson hit back-to-back jumpers in paint with under three minutes to play to help RMU seal the victory.
Chappell finished 9-for-15 shooting, including a 5-for-10 performance from beyond the arc, to take home game-high honors with 23 points. He also added five rebounds and five steals. Robinson and Francisco each finished with 12 points for Robert Morris, while Whitehead contributed eight off the bench.
Saint Francis (Pa.) was led by Grant Surprenant, who scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Profeta finished with 10 points. Guard Sorena Orandi finished with four points and a career-high eight assists off the bench for the Red Flash.
RMU continues league play Monday, Jan. 5, when it opens a three-game road swing with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Md.
