New Britain, Conn. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team notched back-to-back wins for the first time this season Thursday by racing to a 59-45 victory over Central Connecticut at Detrick Gymnasium.
The Colonials improved to 5-15 overall and 3-4 in the Northeast Conference, while the Blue Devils fell to 1-17 overall and 0-7 in league action.
Khalen Cumberlander gave CCSU an 18-14 lead with 7:28 to go before the break thanks to a layup, but the Blue Devils failed to score the rest of the half, shooting 0-for-6 from the field while suffering five turnovers.
RMU grabbed a 25-18 lead at halftime with an 11-0 surge as junior guard
Kavon Stewart scored four points while freshman guard
Matty McConnell capped the run with a three-pointer.
The Colonials continued their run in the first six and-a-half minutes of the second half, outscoring Central Connecticut, 17-2, to grab their largest lead of the contest, 42-20. Sophomore forward
Elijah Minnie was main spark offensively for RMU, scoring 10 points.
CCSU scored the next seven points of the contest to trim its deficit to 42-27, but a layup from Stewart and five straight points from Minnie, including a three-pointer, helped Robert Morris stretch its advantage to 49-28.
"We talk a lot about defending, rebounding and taking care of the ball, and tonight we did all three of those things and were successful," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "Our guys really did an excellent job of defending the whole game. That really got us going. Elijah gave us an offensive lift in the second half, too."
Minnie, who did not play in the first half due to a violation of team rules, tied for game-high honors in scoring with 15 points in 17 minutes. He shot 7-for-9 from the field, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and recorded a block.
Stewart also finished with 15 points and registered four rebounds, four assists and a steal.
"Kavon's communication has been great," Toole said. "Whether it's in a timeout or at the free-throw line, telling our guys where they need to be defensively, he's talking. He's becoming a leader, and it's great to see."
Central Connecticut was led by J.J. Cratit, who scored nine points off the bench. The Blue Devils shot better from beyond the arc (33.3%) than from the field (31.5%) overall.
Robert Morris continues a four-game road swing Saturday, Jan. 23, with a 4:00 p.m. tip against Bryant at Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I., in a game that can be seen live on ESPN3.
Stat Of The Night68.4 – Shooting percentage from the floor by RMU teammates
Kavon Stewart and
Elijah Minnie against the Blue Devils. In two games at Detrick Gymnasium, Minnie owns a career shooting percentage of 85.7 percent (12-for-14).
