Photo Credit: Kyle Gorcey (RMU Sentry Media)
Moon Township, Pa. – Junior guard
Rodney Pryor led four Colonials in double figures scoring with a game-high 25 points as the
Robert Morris University men's basketball team raced to a 91-59 victory over Wagner Thursday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
In improving to 15-14 overall and 11-6 in the Northeast Conference, the Colonials clinched a home game in the 2015 NEC Tournament, while the Seahawks slipped to 10-18 overall and 8-9 in league play.
The game opened with a flurry of offensive activity, with Wagner hitting its first three shots from the field in grabbing an early 7-4 lead after a three-pointer from Corey Henson. Pryor answered Henson's triple with one of his own, which ignited a 14-2 run that allowed RMU to open up an 18-9 advantage.
Aaren Edmead would stop the run with a three-pointer to help the Seahawks trim their deficit 18-12, but five straight points from senior forward
Lucky Jones helped Robert Morris grab its first double-digit lead of the contest, 23-12, with 11:20 to play before halftime.
RMU shot 56.7 percent (17-for-30) from the floor in the first half and used a 14-1 run late in the stanza to grab a 44-23 edge with 3:03 to go before the break. Reed and Pryor each connected from beyond the arc, while sophomore guard
Kavon Stewart converted a layup and Jones buried a jumper.
The Colonials eventually entered the locker room with a 44-29 lead and opened the second half with a 14-3 surge to grab a commanding 58-32 advantage with 15:33 to go. Reed and Pryor each scored five points during the spurt, while freshman forward
Elijah Minnie provided electricity with a dunk off a steal.
"Tonight was one of our more complete games of the season both offensively and defensively," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We came out strong on defense in the second half, which is something we've had issues with this season, and that was nice to see. We talked to our guys all week about playing a complete game. It was a big game for both teams, but I thought as soon as the ball went up were alert and focused."
The biggest lead of the contest for Robert Morris came with 6:17 remaining, 84-46, after Pryor hit a trio of shots at the free-throw line due a foul on Wagner's Marcus Burton. Burton, the NEC's leading scorer, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with just six points on 2-of-11 shooting. Burton had his streak of double-figure scoring games snapped at 15, finishing with his lowest point total since scoring just five points at Cincinnati Dec. 23, 2014.
Pryor shot 7-for-10 from the field, including 5-for-6 from deep, and 6-for-7 from the stripe in leading the Colonials with 25 points. He also added five rebounds, a career-high six assists and two steals. Reed added 20 points and three steals, while Jones contributed 15 points, eight boards, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
"The last two games, Lucky has really played within himself," Toole said. "When he plays the way he did (tonight) and the way he did last Saturday, he's one of the best players in the league."
Minnie chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while Stewart scored seven points, grabbed six boards and dished out seven assists.
Wagner was led by Henson, who scored 10 points before fouling out. He was the only player for the Seahawks to reach double figures.
Robert Morris, which established season highs for points (91) and three-pointers (14), concludes its 2014-15 regular season Saturday, Feb. 28, with a 4:00 p.m. tip against in-state rival Saint Francis U. at the Sewall Center.
Stat Of The Night: 26 – Number of steals in RMU's sweep of Wagner in the 2014-15 season series. The Colonials finished with a season-high 13 thefts in each game.
Tweet(s) Of The Night:
