Moon Township, Pa. - Senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) scored a game-high 22 points while junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) tied a career-high with 20 points to help lead the Robert Morris University men's basketball team to an 85-79 victory over Sacred Heart Thursday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
RMU improves to 18-8 overall and 12-1 in the Northeast Conference with the win, while the Pioneers fall to 11-13 overall and 8-6 in league play.
Both teams started off hot from the field, as the Colonials held an 8-5 lead two and-a-half minutes into the game thanks to three-pointers from senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) and junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard) and a jumper from Robinson.
Sacred Heart took its first lead, 10-8, thanks to a layup from Joey Henley and a three-pointer from Ryon Howard, but a 12-3 surge by helped Robert Morris open up a 20-13 advantage with 11:51 to play before halftime. Chappell hit a pair of three-pointers to bolster the run.
The Pioneers chipped away and took a 31-26 lead at the four-minute mark of the first half thanks to an 18-6 run. Stan Dulaire ignited the surge with a layup, while Chauncey Hardy hit a pair of three-pointers and Ryan Litke added another.
However, SHU would score just one point the rest of the stanza, and the Colonials were able to take a 34-32 lead into halftime after junior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left before the break.
RMU opened the second half on a 12-6 run to take a 46-38 lead and was able to stretch its lead to double digits, 57-47, with 11:21 remaining after a layup off an offensive rebound from Green. Litke buried a three-pointer and Henley hit a runner in the lane to trim the deficit for Sacred Heart to 57-52, but back-to-back baskets from Robinson gave the Colonials a 61-52 cushion.
A jumper from Chappell with 3:54 to go gave RMU its biggest advantage of the night, 71-59, but Litke's fourth trifecta of the game pulled the Pioneers within 77-72 with 51 seconds to play. Robert Morris clinched the win at the free-throw line, going a perfect 10-for-10 at the charity stripe in the final minute of action.
Chappell and Robinson combined for 42 points and 17 rebounds, shooting 69.2 percent (18-for-26) from the field. Robinson finished 10-for-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, while Chappell finished 8-for-14 from the floor and took home game-high honors with nine caroms. Chappell also added five assists, a block and a pair of steals.
Henley paced Sacred Heart with 21 points, while Litke finished with 18 and Hardy 13. Corey Hassan finished with six points, six rebounds and five assists but finished just 2-for-9 shooting, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
