University Park, Pa. - Penn State opened the second half on a 23-4 run, aided by four three-pointers from Chris Babb, en route to an 80-61 win over the Robert Morris University men's basketball team Monday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
RMU falls to 0-2 overall on the 2009-10 campaign with the defeat, while the Nittany Lions improved to 2-0.
Babb finished 5-for-9 shooting from the beyond the arc as PSU converted 12 of its 26 attempts (46.2 percent) from long range. Tim Frazier added four three-pointers in five attempts for Penn State, while as a team the Colonials converted just four of their 16 (25 percent) chances from long range.
In the first five minutes of play Robert Morris opened up an 11-6 advantage as five different Colonials scored, including a three-pointer from senior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard). The score was tied five times in the first half while the lead changed hands on seven occasions.
Penn State closed to within 13-11 on Babb's first three-pointer of the game at the 13:27 mark of the first half, but RMU stayed in front by converting foul shots, including four by sophomore guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic).
The Nittany Lions took just their second lead of the contest, 20-19, on a Frazier three-pointer with 8:51 left before the break, but Robert Morris took the lead right back on a fastbreak layup from senior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest).
Penn State's biggest lead of the first half came courtesy of a Frazier three-pointer, 24-21, but RMU owned a 33-31 edge with under a minute to play in the first half thanks in large part to a thunderous dunk by freshman forward Lijah Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner) off a missed three-pointer by junior guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep).
Frazier closed the Nittany Lions to within one, 33-32, by hitting the back end of a pair of free throws, and it looked as if the Colonials were going to take the lead into halftime. However, after a missed layup by sophomore forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) with just four seconds to go in the first half, Talor Battle converted his first field goal of the game as time expired to give Penn State the lead at intermission, 34-33.
Johnson led Robert Morris with 11 points, while Jones finished in double figures for the second straight game to open the year with 10 points. As a club the Colonials shot just 37.1 percent (23-for-62) from the floor and after committing 28 turnovers in the season opener @ Syracuse (11/11/09), the most in a game under third-year head coach Mike Rice, RMU finished with just eight miscues against Penn State.
Frazier scored a game-high 19 points, while Babb finished with 15 and Jeff Brooks 12. RMU scored more points in the paint than the Nittany Lions, 25-24, and also held edges in points off turnovers (18-3), second-chance points (14-13) and fastbreak points (9-2).
Robert Morris returns to action with three games in three days in Albany, N.Y., to close out play in the 2K Sports Classic, benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, Nov. 20-22. The Colonials square off with Detroit Mercy Friday, Nov. 20, Alcorn State Saturday, Nov. 21, and Albany Sunday, Nov. 22.
