Hackensack, N.J. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded a two-game road trip to open Northeast Conference play Saturday with an 81-77 setback to Fairleigh Dickinson at Stratis Arena.
Darian Anderson's three-pointer with 2:35 to play gave the Knights a 73-72 edge and capped a 19-7 run that allowed FDU to erase an 11-point deficit.
The two teams had a pair of empty possessions before sophomore guard
Isaiah Still drove the lane and was fouled by Malik Miller with 36 seconds to play. Still couldn't convert at the free-throw line, and Earl Potts, Jr., answered by hitting a pair of his own at the chalk to push the Fairleigh Dickinson (4-9, 2-0 NEC) advantage to 75-72.
Senior guard
Kavon Stewart helped the Colonials close to within one, 75-74, by knocking down two free throws, but Anderson connected for two at the chalk with 27 seconds left to again push FDU's lead to three, 77-74.
Robert Morris (5-10, 1-1 NEC) suffered its 19th turnover of the contest on its next possession, and this time Stephan Jiggetts was sent to the line for the Knights. He hit both to give Fairleigh Dickinson a five-point cushion, 79-74.
RMU had one last push, as Still buried a three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession contest, 79-77, but Anderson, who scored a game-high 26 points and finished 8-for-9 at the free-throw line, sealed the win with two free throws.
"I think what you saw tonight was two teams that really wanted to win the game," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "Both teams were flying around. It's what you have to expect with a Northeast Conference game. We had our opportunities and didn't take advantage of it. There's a lot we can learn from both the good and the bad."
Trailing, 35-30, entering the second half, the Colonials used a quick 7-0 surge to grab a 37-35 lead at the 18:18 mark thanks to a tip-in from freshman center
Braden Burke. The two teams then traded baskets, as the game featured 12 ties and five lead changes.
Tied, 45-45, with 14:50 to play, Robert Morris hung a 20-9 run on FDU to open up its biggest advantage of the contest, 65-54, with 6:10 remaining. It was a balanced attack offensively for the Colonials, as redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate scored six points, freshmen guards
Dachon Burke and
Clive Allen each scored five and
Braden Burke contributed four.
Darnell Edge stemmed the tide with a layup with 5:58 left to begin the final push for Fairleigh Dickinson, and his four-point play thanks to a triple and foul courtesy of Still tied the game, 68-68, at the 3:31 mark of the second half.
"We defended for stretches and we rebounded well, but we didn't take care of the ball," Toole said. "That's such an important aspect to winning. We also didn't convert at the line. Give FDU credit. They made the plays late they needed to. We had a chance but didn't finish it out. We'll learn from it."
Five different players reached double figures for RMU, with Stewart and
Braden Burke tying for team-high honors with 12 points each. Still and sophomore guard
Matty McConnell each contributed 11 points, while Tate scored 10 to go along with a game-high eight rebounds.
In addition to Anderson's 26 points, Edge scored 18 points off the bench and Potts, Jr., and Jiggetts each tallied 14.
Robert Morris begins the new year by hosting five of its next six games at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Colonials welcome LIU Brooklyn Thursday, Jan. 5, for a 7:00 p.m. tip. RMU will also host St. Francis Brooklyn (Jan. 7) and Saint Francis U (Jan. 12) as part of a three-game homestand.
Stat of the Night
19.2 – Percent shooting for FDU from beyond the arc, the fifth time in the last six games an RMU opponent has been held below 30 percent shooting from deep and the 10th time overall this season.
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