Pittsburgh, Pa. - Pitt opened the second half on a 20-4 run to break up a tight game in the first 20 minutes of action en route to a 77-53 victory over the Robert Morris University men's basketball team Monday night at the Petersen Events Center.
RMU, which saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end, dipped to 16-9 overall in the final non-conference game of its 2009-10 regular season, while the Panthers improved to 18-6.
The Colonials jumped out to an 11-6 advantage in the first five minutes of action as freshman guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) sparked the Colonials with seven points, including a three-point play to open the game's scoring, a jumper and a layup.
Five straight points from Ashton Gibbs knotted the score, 11-11, at the 13:48 mark of the first half, but Robert Morris grabbed the lead right back, 16-11, thanks to a jumper from freshman forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) and a three-pointer from redshirt freshman guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic).
In all in the first half, 29 of RMU's 33 points came courtesy of Colonials playing their first season of Division I basketball.
Johnson would again give Robert Morris a six-point edge, 19-13, with a three-pointer, but Pitt used an 8-2 spurt to tie the game for the fourth time, 21-21, with 9:02 remaining before the break.
Jermaine Dixon was the spark for the Panthers, scoring seven straight points, while Gibbs tied it with a three-pointer.
Jones would push the Colonials back on top, 23-21, to help curtail Pitt's run, but a pair of free throws from both Gibbs and Dixon gave the Panthers a 25-23 advantage. RMU took its final lead of the contest with 7:26 to go before halftime, 26-25, when Abraham connected on his second three-pointer of the game.
Pitt would close the first half on a 14-5 surge to take a 39-33 lead into intermission as Dixon hit a pair of three-pointers while Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown each scored four points.
The Colonials shot 48 percent (12-for-25) from the field in the first half but after hitting seven of their first nine attempts from the field finished the stanza 5-for-16.
In the second half Gary McGhee scored six of Pitt's first 11 points as the Panthers quickly stretched their lead to double digits, 50-35, with 15:32 to play. In the first seven minutes after the break Robert Morris connected on just one of its six attempts from the field while suffering four turnovers.
Abraham led the Colonials for the fourth straight game with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. He established a new RMU freshman record for three-pointers in the defeat, as his pair gives him 58 for the season. Abraham snapped the old mark of 56, which was set in 1991-92 by former guard Bubba Donnelly (1991-95).
Johnson added 11 points off the bench for Robert Morris, while Jones and senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) each finished with 10 points.
Nwigwe scored all 10 of his points in the second half after picking up three personal fouls before the break and also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The Panthers were led by Gibbs, who scored 20 points, while Dixon added 18 and Wanamaker 12. Wanamaker recorded a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds and also led Pitt in assists (4) while posting a pair of steals.
Robert Morris continues a three-game road trip Thursday, Feb. 11, by returning to Northeast Conference play when it visits New Britian, Conn., for an 8:00 p.m. tip against Central Connecticut State at Detrick Gymnasium.
