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Robert Morris University Athletics

Lucky Jones
68
Winner Robert Morris RMU 1-2
61
Bradley BRAD 0-2
Winner
Robert Morris RMU
1-2
68
Final
61
Bradley BRAD
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Robert Morris RMU 30 38 68
Bradley BRAD 28 33 61

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Colonials Rally For First Victory of Season

RMU erases a 15-point deficit in the first half to post a 68-61 win at Bradley

Moon Township, Pa. – Junior guard Rodney Pryor scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and the Robert Morris University men's basketball team climbed out of a 15-point deficit to earn its first victory of the 2014-15 campaign Wednesday with a 68-61 win over Bradley at Carver Arena.

The Colonials improved to 1-2 on the year, while the Braves dipped to 0-2.

Trailing, 27-12, with 5:48 to go in the first half after Ka'Darryl Bell converted a pair of free throws for Bradley, RMU closed the first half on an 18-1 surge to grab a 30-28 advantage at the break. Pryor started the run with a four-point play thanks to a three-pointer and foul by Donte Thomas, while senior forward Lucky Jones scored nine points.

Robert Morris overcame 13 turnovers in the first and just 28.6 percent (6-for-21) shooting from the field but took advantage at the charity stripe, going 13-for-19 (68.4%) at the free-throw line while the Braves hit just seven of their 13 opportunities, a success rate of 53.8 percent.

"I'm proud of the way our guys fought through and grinded out a win tonight," head coach Andrew Toole said. "We certainly got off to a poor start, especially turning the ball over, but we made team-oriented decisions that helped us win the game. They're starting to understand the importance of moving past the mistakes."

The Colonials never trailed in the second half, as freshman forward Elijah Minnie opened the scoring after the break with a layup to give RMU a 32-28 lead. Bradley hung around, keeping it one-possession contest on five occasions in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but a 9-1 run that saw four different players score opened up a 54-43 cushion for Robert Morris with 6:32 to play.

The Braves called timeout after a jumper from freshman Marcquise Reed gave the Colonials their first double-digit advantage, and out of the break hung an 11-2 run on RMU to trim their deficit to 56-55.

Pryor came up big for RMU, hitting a three-pointer with two and-a-half minutes to play to give the Colonials a 59-55 edge. His final dagger came with just 56 seconds to play, when his sixth triple of the game pushed the lead for Robert Morris to 62-57.

The Colonials shot 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field in the second half to help pull out the victory and 40.9 percent (18-for-44) overall. From beyond the arc, RMU hit an even 50 percent (9-for-18) and were 23-for-33 (69.7%) at the free-throw line.

Pryor hit seven of his eight shots off the bench, including 6-for-7 from deep, and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the chalk to finish with 26 points. He also added a pair of rebounds and two steals. Jones added 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, while senior guard David Appolon contributed seven points, a game-high nine caroms and two steals.

Warren Jones paced Bradley with 24 points off the bench while also tallying seven rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Bell chipped in with 12 points.

Robert Morris returns to action in the Battle 4 Atlantis in its next game, traveling to Washington, D.C., Saturday, Nov. 22, for a Noon tip against Georgetown at the Verizon Center.

Stat of the Night: Dating back to the 2013-14 season, Robert Morris has climbed out of a double-digit deficit in five of its last 12 games. In five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials have erased a double-digit deficit 16 times.

Tweet of the Night: Courtesy of RMU assistant women's hockey coach Logan Bittle, a native of Peoria, Illinois …  
 

 
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