Moon Township, Pa. - Long Island shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) in the second half and 51.9 percent (27-for-52) overall as the Blackbirds snapped the Robert Morris University men's basketball team's three-game winning streak Thursday night with an 83-67 win over the Colonials at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Blackbirds notched their eighth straight win to improve to 14-4 overall and 6-1 in Northeast Conference play, while RMU slipped to 8-10 overall and 4-3 in league action.
The two teams changed leads six times and the contest featured 15 ties, but LIU took control with an 18-7 run midway through the second half en route to the victory.
A pair of free throws from freshman guard Anthony Myers (Washington, D.C. / Charis Prep) helped Robert Morris trim its deficit to 44-41 with 12:51 remaining, but Long Island started the decisive run when Michael Culpo converted a conventional three-point play to give the Blackbirds a 47-41 advantage.
Culpo added a three-pointer on the next possession for Long Island, and a jumper by C.J. Garner and a pair of free throws from Julian Boyd gave the Blackbirds their first double-digit lead, 54-44, at the 10:21 mark of the second half.
Sophomore guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) hit a jumper and a pair from the charity stripe by redshirt sophomore forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) trimmed RMU's deficit to 55-48, but nine straight points from Long Island helped the Blackbirds surge to the win.
Four different players scored for LIU, including a three-pointer from David Hicks. Long Island took its biggest lead with just 2:05 to play when Boyd converted a layup off an offensive rebound to give the Blackbirds an 80-59 advantage.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first 20 minutes of action, with the Colonials taking a 33-31 edge into halftime thanks in large part to a three-pointer by Johnson with 1:05 left before the break.
Culpo came off the bench to take home game-high honors in scoring with 19 points for Long Island, converting six of his nine shots from the floor, including a 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc.
One of five Blackbirds to score in double figures, Culpo was joined by Jamal Olasewere, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, Boyd (12), Garner (11) and Hicks (11).
Redshirt sophomore guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) paced the Colonials with 14 points and added three assists and two steals, while Johnson chipped in 11 points and six rebounds and Myers 10 points.
Long Island stifled Abraham, who finished with six points and was held to 2-of-7 shooting, including an 0-for-3 performance from international waters.
Robert Morris concludes a four-game homestand when it hosts St. Francis (N.Y.) at the Sewall Center Saturday, Jan. 22. Tip is 7:00 p.m.
