Moon Township, Pa. - In a game that featured four ties and five lead changes in the last five minutes of regulation, the Robert Morris University men's basketball team earned its third straight victory Monday night with a 78-75 victory over Morgan State at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Colonials evened their overall record at 7-7 on the 2009-10 campaign thanks to the win, while the Bears slipped to 8-6.
Ameer Ali gave Morgan State a 73-72 lead with just 1:00 to play with a pair of free throws, but senior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) pushed RMU back in front, 74-73, with a jumper in the paint with 42 seconds left.
Kevin Thompson's jumper with 19 seconds to go was off the mark for the Bears, and Robinson was able to come down with the rebound for RMU. Robinson helped seal the victory when he took a feed from freshman guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) and converted a layup with 12.5 seconds remaining while being fouled during the play by Troy Smith.
Robinson converted the three-point play to increase the lead for Robert Morris to 77-73. Joe Davis would score a layup with just 5.4 seconds to go to pull Morgan State within two, 77-75, but senior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) helped clinch the win by hitting the back end of a pair of free throws.
In all, the game featured 11 ties and nine lead changes, with Robert Morris digging out of a 10-point halftime deficit for the victory.
Redshirt freshman Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) had given the Colonials a 24-22 edge at the 6:02 mark of the first half with a dunk on a feed from Robinson, but the Bears closed the frame on a 16-4 run to take a 38-28 lead into the break.
Reggie Holmes started the spurt with a three-pointer for MSU, Kevin Thompson scored five points and Sean Thomas converted a three-point play in the last minute to give the Bears their first double-digit lead.
Morgan State kept Robert Morris at bay in the first eight minutes of the second half, owning a 54-45 advantage with 12:15 to play after a layup by Holmes.
The Colonials started their comeback with a 12-4 spurt, which was bolstered by eight points from Abraham, to close within one, 58-57, but the Bears kept the lead thanks to converting at the free-throw line.
RMU finally grabbed the lead back with 3:52 to play on a dunk from Robinson, which set up the back-and-forth affair in the final minutes of action.
Robinson established a career high with 23 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds to pace the Colonials, notching his second double-double of the year and fourth of his career. He converted 10 of his 14 shots from the floor and was 3-for-4 at the free-throw line.
Abraham added 17 points, three assists and a pair of steals, while senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) finished with 14 points, three rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes of action before fouling out.
Morgan State was led by Kevin Thompson, who finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Thomas added 14 points and Holmes 11.
RMU returns to Northeast Conference action with a pair of road games this week, visiting Long Island Thursday, Jan. 7, for a 7:30 p.m. tip in Brooklyn, N.Y., before taking on St. Francis (N.Y.) Saturday, Jan. 9, at 4:30 p.m.
