Pittsburgh, Pa. – Sophomore guard
Isaiah Still's layup with 15.3 seconds to play helped lift the
Robert Morris University men's basketball team to a 64-60 victory over Duquesne Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.
The Dukes (4-6) had an opportunity to jump back in front, but Still blocked a driving layup attempt by Emile Blackman with 10 seconds to go. Freshman guard
Clive Allen came up with the rebound and was immediately fouled, and he converted a pair at the chalk with 7.3 seconds left to give RMU a 62-59 cushion.
Mike Lewis II was fouled after bringing the ball over half court with 4.3 seconds remaining, and he hit the front end of his two attempts to pull Duquesne to within 62-60. On his second attempt, however, the Dukes were called for a lane violation, giving the ball back to the Colonials.
Allen was again fouled, and he sank a pair at the stripe with 3.4 seconds to seal the win.
"I'm really happy for our players," head coach
Andrew Toole. "We've lost a few close games recently, and our guys stuck to it tonight and showed some real toughness, especially down the stretch. Tonight we got over the hump."
In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, Robert Morris held a 37-33 at halftime and grabbed its biggest lead of the contest, 42-33, at the 18:27 mark of the second half after a jumper from sophomore guard
Matty McConnell.
The Dukes fought back by scoring the next nine points to tie the game, 42-42, as Emile Blackman scored five points during the surge. Allen would put the Colonials back on top, 44-42, with a jumper, but Nakye Sanders converted in the paint to tie the contest again, 44-44, and set up the back-and-forth affair down the stretch.
Duquesne grabbed its first lead of the second half, 51-50, with 6:35 to play when Sanders, who finished with a double-double courtesy of 11 rebounds and a game-high 16 rebounds, hit the back end of a pair of free throws.
Robert Morris used a quick 5-0 spurt to jump back in front, 55-51, thanks to a jumper from senior guard
Kavon Stewart and a three-pointer from Still, but the Dukes responded with a 6-0 spurt to charge in front, 57-55, with 2:07 to go.
Stewart's driving layup with under a minute left gave Robert Morris a 58-57 edge, but Lewis II converted his own driving layup to give the Dukes their final lead, 59-58, with 30 ticks left on the clock.
Still took home game-high honors in scoring with 22 points, hitting seven of his 13 attempts from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. He also finished 4-for-6 at the free-throw line.
Stewart added 12 points, five rebounds and two steals for RMU, while Allen scored in double figures for the second consecutive game with 11 points. Allen also posted five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Duquesne was led by Lewis II, who scored 15 points. He was one of four Dukes in double figures, as Blackman contributed 12 points and Tarin Smith 10. Sanders, who finished with seven offensive rebounds among his 16 caroms, shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and also blocked five shots.
Robert Morris returns to the Charles L. Sewall Center for its next home game, welcoming Oakland Saturday, Dec. 10, for a 4:00 p.m. tip.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
5 – Consecutive double figure scoring games for both
Isaiah Still and
Kavon Stewart after their respective performances against the Dukes.
DID YOU KNOW?
Robert Morris is 3-1 this season when being outrebounded by its opponent but 0-6 against foes when finishing even or better on the glass.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
