Brooklyn, N.Y. - Long Island used a 16-3 run in the second half to turn a six-point deficit into a seven-point lead and the Blackbirds held off a late charge by the Robert Morris University men's basketball team for a 74-64 victory over the Colonials Thursday night at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.
RMU fell to 7-8 overall on the 2009-10 campaign with the setback, including 2-1 in the Northeast Conference, while LIU improved to 5-9 overall and a perfect 3-0 in league play. Robert Morris also had its 15-game winning streak in the month of January dating back to 2008 snapped with the loss.
The Colonials led the whole contest and took a 41-35 advantage at the 15:50 mark of the second half when senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) converted a layup, but the decisive run by Long Island pushed them in front for the first time and proved to be the difference.
Five different Blackbirds scored during the spurt, with Michael Culpo's three-pointer knotting the game, 44-44, and Kyle Johnson's layup pushing Long Island in front, 46-44.
Jamal Olasewere would add three more points, one from the free-throw line and two more on a dunk, and Kenny Onyechi hit a pair from the charity stripe to increase the lead to 51-44 for the Blackbirds.
Redshirt freshman Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) helped curb the LIU surge with a jumper to trim RMU's deficit to 51-46 with 9:03 remaining, but a jumper from Onyechi and a layup by Jaytornah Wisseh gave LIU its biggest lead to that point, 55-46, with 7:48 to play.
The Colonials scored the next seven points of the contest to climb to within two, 55-53, as Jones and Nwigwe each hit a pair from the charity stripe while redshirt freshman Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) buried a three-pointer from the top of the key.
Long Island, however, was able to keep Robert Morris at bay, as the Colonials on three separate occasions were down just one in the final 5:27 of action, the last of which came with exactly four minutes to play after freshman Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) hit a three-pointer to trim the lead for the Blackbirds to 62-61.
It was still a one-possession game with 1:19 to go after senior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) converted a jumper to pull RMU to within two, 65-63, but Kyle Johnson helped seal the victory for LIU with a three-pointer with just 42 seconds remaining that gave the Blackbirds a 68-63 edge.
Long Island closed the game on a 9-1 run, going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line in the final 31 seconds of action.
Robert Morris never trailed in the first half, taking a 31-29 lead into the break as nine different Colonials scored a basket, including six points from Abraham on a pair of three-pointers.
Robinson led the Colonials for the second straight game with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds, converting six of his 11 shots from the floor. Johnson and Jones each added 10 points for Robert Morris, with Jones dishing out four assists against one turnover and also recording a steal.
Kyle Johnson scored a game-high 22 points for Long Island and was one of four Blackbirds to finish the game in double figures. Onyechi had 17 points and eight rebounds, Wisseh chipped in with 11 points and five assists and Olasewere had 10 points and six boards.
RMU concludes its swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., Saturday, Jan. 9, with a 4:30 p.m. tip at St. Francis (N.Y.).
