Fairfield, Conn. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball opened Northeast Conference play Thursday with a 78-67 victory over Sacred Heart at Dave Bike Court in Fairfield, Conn.
The Colonials took control in the second half courtesy of a 14-3 run and allowed RMU to erase a seven-point deficit from earlier in the stanza.
Joseph Lopez gave the Pioneers (5-9, 0-1 NEC) a 51-50 edge with a layup at the 11:37 mark of the second half, but Robert Morris (5-9, 1-0 NEC) jumped back in front, 52-51, thanks to a layup form redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate.
On SHU's next possession, senior guard
Kavon Stewart came up with a steal on an inbounds pass and went the distance to convert a layup to push the advantage for Robert Morris to 54-51.
Matej Buovac answered for Sacred Heart by connecting from the top of the arc to knot the score, 54-54, before the Colonials scored the next 12 points to open up a 66-54 advantage. Sophomore guard
Isaiah Still was the main catalyst for RMU during the run, scoring six points, including a three-pointer with 6:18 remaining that gave Robert Morris its first double-digit lead.
Sacred Heart whittled its deficit to 69-61 with 2:20 to play after a three-point play from Lopez, but the Colonials sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 7-for-8 at the stripe in the final 53 seconds.
"Sacred Heart really hurts us in the first half with their transition," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We tried to cut corners instead of sticking to our defensive formula. I thought we reversed that in the second half. We sped them up and were really active and alert defensively. When we play that way we can be successful."
Lopez and Quincy McKnight combined for 27 points in the first half as Sacred Heart grabbed a 35-34 advantage at the break. The duo shot 13-for-20 from the field in the first 20 minutes of action and helped the Pioneers outscore the Colonials, 30-20, in points in the paint.
SHU held its biggest lead, 21-13, with 8:25 left before the break after a Lopez fastbreak layup, but the Colonials trimmed their deficit to one at the break when Still converted a three-pointer as time expired on the first-half clock.
Still was one of four players to reach double figures for Robert Morris with 22 points. He shot 6-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc, and converted seven of his 12 attempts at the charity stripe. Still also tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds and added an assist, block and two steals.
Stewart contributed 14 points and four steals, while Tate tallied 10 points, six boards and a steal. Off the bench, freshman guard
Dachon Burke scored 10 points as the RMU reserves outscored the Sacred Heart bench, 30-12.
Lopez notched a double-double for the Pioneers, finishing with 23 points and 16 rebounds. McKnight added 18 points, while Bouvac scored 12 points.
RMU concludes a two-game road trip to open NEC play Saturday, Dec. 31, with a 3:00 p.m. tip against Fairleigh Dickinson at Stratis Arena in Teaneck, N.J.
Stat Of the Night
16 – Steals compiled by Robert Morris, a season high and the most since finishing with 15 in a 66-53 win over Bryant (3/7/15) in the semifinals of the 2015 NEC Tournament.
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