Philadelphia, Pa. - In a game that featured five ties and 13 lead changes, the Robert Morris University men's basketball team used a 16-8 run over the final 6:27 to pull out a 51-44 victory over La Salle as part of the 2011 Philly Hoop Group Classic Friday night at the Palestra.
RMU matches its best start in school history with an overall record of 4-1 thanks to the win, while the Explorers dipped to 2-3 overall.
Tyreek Duren had given La Salle a 36-35 edge with 6:27 to play by hitting the back end of a pair of free throws, but the Colonials got the lead right back on their next possession when redshirt junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) converted a pair from the chalk after being fouled by Duren.
Earl Pettis followed with a missed jumper for the Explorers, and junior center Lijah Thompson's (Philadelphia, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner) baseline jumper on a feed from Jones helped Robert Morris open up a 39-36 lead.
Jones would add another pair of free throws with 4:46 to go that gave RMU a 41-36 advantage, and after Jerrell Wright hit a pair of his own at the charity stripe redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) picked the pocket of Pettis and raced the length of the floor for an uncontested layup to give RMU a 43-38 lead with 3:48 to play.
The score remained that way until the 2:07 mark of the second half, when Sam Mills buried a three-pointer to pull the Explorers within 43-41.
Out of a 30-second Robert Morris timeout, redshirt sophomore guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, Va. / Christchurch School) helped keep the Explorers at bay with a jumper just inside the free-throw line.
RMU sealed the win at the free-throw line, as Johnson hit four free throws and Williams added a pair in the final 1:17 of action.
Neither team led by more than five the entire game until the final score as both teams played solid defense in the first half in what was an eventual 19-19 deadlock at the break.
La Salle converted just 33.3 percent (7-for-21) of its attempts from the field before intermission, while Robert Morris hit just six of its 25 (24 percent) shots in the first half.
Overall the Explorers were successful on just 31.9 percent (15-for-47) of their attempts from the floor, while the Colonials shot a meager 28 percent (14-for-50).
RMU held the advantage at the free-throw line, finishing 23-for-34 (67.6 percent) compared to 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) for La Salle.
Jones paced RMU with 14 points, while Johnson tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal. Mills led all scorers in the game with 15 for La Salle, the lone player in double figures for the Explorers.
Robert Morris concludes a five-game swing away from home as well as the 2011 Philly Hoop Group Classic when it takes on Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center Sunday, Nov. 27. Tip is 5:00 p.m.
