West Long Branch, N.J. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team overcame a 10-point deficit for the third time this season and rebounded from a poor first half offensively to win its fifth straight game Saturday night with a 66-53 victory over Monmouth at the Multipurpose Athletic Center.
The Colonials, who shot 62.5 percent (21-for-51) from the field in the second half, including 70 percent (7-for-10) from long range, pushed their overall record to 12-8, including a 7-1 ledge in the Northeast Conference, while the Hawks dipped to 9-11 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
Trailing by two at halftime, 19-17, after converting just 22.2 percent (6-for-27) of its shots before intermission, RMU saw the Hawks use a 12-4 surge out the break to open up a 31-21 advantage with 17:45 to play.
Monmouth was bolstered by its three-point shooting, as Ed Waite, Whitney Coleman and James Hett each connected from long range.
Despite the double-digit deficit, Robert Morris responded with a 16-3 spurt over the next six minutes that gave the Colonials a 37-34 lead.
Senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) scored the first six points of the run and finished with eight points during the salvo, while back-to-back three-pointers from freshman guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) pushed RMU in front.
R.J. Rutledge would tie the game for the fourth time, 37-37, with a three-pointer with 10:48 remaining, but Robert Morris scored 15 of the game's next 18 points to take its first double-digit advantage of the contest, 52-40, with 6:36 to go.
Nwigwe again started the run with a jumper, while Abraham scored four points from the free-throw line. The Colonials were able to keep the Hawks at bay during the surge when redshirt freshmen Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) and Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) hit back-to-back three-pointers to give RMU a double-digit lead.
Coleman would help the Hawks close within nine, 53-42, with a pair from the charity stripe at the 5:54 mark of the second half, but Robert Morris spoiled any chances of a Monmouth comeback with a 13-6 run that opened up RMU's biggest advantage of the game, 65-49, with just 1:40 left to play.
In a defensive first half, the Colonials held Monmouth to a shooting percentage of just 17.2 percent (5-for-29) but trailed by two at the break, 19-17, after the Hawks closed the stanza on a 7-2 spurt.
RMU turned the ball over five times in the final 3:41 of the first half, which led to each of Monmouth's seven points. Will Campbell had 13 of the 19 points in the first half for the Hawks, mostly on the strength of 5-for-6 shooting at the free-throw line.
Nwigwe scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half to lead Robert Morris, while Abraham scored all 13 of his points after the break.
Nwigwe shot 5-for-7 from the floor, including successful attempts on both of his shots from downtown, and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe while adding seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
Johnson added nine seven points, seven rebounds and a career-high five steals, while Jones contributed nine points and senior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) eight points, a game-high four assists and a pair of blocks.
Monmouth was led by Campbell, who scored just two points after halftime and finished with 15 points, while Coleman scored 11 points.
Robert Morris returns to the Charles L. Sewall Center to open a two-game homestand Thursday, Jan. 28, when it welcomes Long Island for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
