Smithfield, R.I. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team stretched its winning streak to a season-high three games Saturday by earning a wire-to-wire victory over Bryant, 65-54, at the Chace Athletic Center.
The Colonials improved to 6-15 overall on the 2015-16 campaign and evened its Northeast Conference record at 4-4, while the Bulldogs slipped to 7-14 overall and 4-4 in league play.
Freshman guard
Matty McConnell opened the scoring with a three-pointer, junior guard
Kavon Stewart converted an old-fashioned three-point play and freshman guard
Isaiah Still buried a triple to help the Colonials grab an early 9-6 advantage.
The opening burst was part of a balanced offensive attack in the first half for RMU. Sophomore forward
Elijah Minnie then took over, helping Robert Morris grab its first double-digit advantage, 16-6, by scoring seven straight points, including a dunk.
Bryant responded with a 13-4 surge that trimmed its deficit to 20-19 with 8:15 to play in the first half. Marcel Pettway was the main offensive force, scoring eight points. Pettway finished with 12 points in the first half, converting six of his seven shots from the field.
The Colonials weathered the run by the Bulldogs and quickly stretched their advantage to 28-19 as Still hit a three-pointer and Stewart supplied a jumper and a triple. RMU eventually entered halftime with a 32-26 edge as Minnie led the way with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Still and Stewart each scored eight points.
Nisre Zouzoua opened the scoring in the second half for Bryant by converting a layup to pull the Bulldogs to within 32-28, but an 11-4 run that featured four points from junior forward
Billy Giles and a three-pointer from senior guard
Rodney Pryor pushed RMU's lead back to double digits, 43-32.
Bryant was able to close to within 45-41 with six and-a-half minutes left after a layup from Justin Brickman, but RMU took control with a 9-0 flurry that featured six points from Stewart and a three-pointer by McConnell to push its lead to 54-41 with 2:46 to go.
Robert Morris sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 9-for-9 at the stripe in the final 1:15 of action, including a 7-for-7 performance from Pryor.
"I told the guys in the locker room before the game that I though the team that had the most energy would be the one to come away with the victory today," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We got off to a good start by hitting a couple of shots, and then Elijah really got us going. We fed off that."
Pettway led all scorers in the contest with 21 points for Bryant and also grabbed 10 rebounds. He shot 10-for-17 from the floor and of his 10 boards, six came on the offensive glass. Hunter Ware added 15 points for the Bulldogs.
Stewart led Robert Morris with 18 points, five assists and a pair of steals, while Minnie contributed 13 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high six blocks.
"Kavon is really getting our guys pumped up and making sure we play with intensity," Toole said. "Not only that, he's keeping the intensity up with our guys. He's really taking ownership of this team."
Also reaching double figures for the Colonials was Pryor, who scored 10 points in his first action in two weeks after missing three games due to a concussion. He kept his consecutive double-figure scoring game streak intact, extending it to 28 games dating back to last year.
Robert Morris continues a four-game road trip Thursday, Jan. 28, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Mount St. Mary's at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Md., in a game that can be seen live on CBS Sports Network.
Stat Of The Night6 – Wins (against no losses) at the Chace Athletic Center in the all-time series against Bryant.
