Photo credit: Justin Berl
Moon Township, Pa. – Saint Francis U. used a 19-5 run midway through the second half to turn a three-point deficit into an 11-point lead en route to a 68-57 victory over the
Robert Morris University men's basketball team Thursday at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Colonials dipped to 7-19 overall on the 2015-16 campaign, including 5-8 in Northeast Conference play, while the Red Flash improved to 13-11 overall and 9-4 in the league.
In a game that featured five ties and seven lead changes, RMU fell behind early in the second half, 41-32, after a three-pointer from Malik Harmon.
The Colonials rallied, using a 12-0 surge to grab a 44-41 advantage with 12:32 to play. Junior forward
Billy Giles ignited the run with a layup and scored six points during the spurt, while junior guard
Kavon Stewart and senior guard
Rodney Pryor each converted layups.
SFU, which finished 9-for-19 (47.4 percent) from beyond the arc, stemmed the tide thanks to the play of Ronnie Drinnon, who finished with game-high totals in both points (17) and rebounds (16). Drinnon tied the game, 44-44, after a layup and free throw thanks to a foul by freshman guard
Steven Whitley.
Stewart would push Robert Morris back in front, 46-44, with a jumper in the lane, but a layup from Basil Thompson and a three-pointer by Georgious Angelou gave the Red Flash the lead for good, 49-46. Drinnon scored eight straight points for Saint Francis U. during its deciding run, while Angelou capped it with his third triple of the night.
"Give credit to Saint Francis," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "I like watching their team play. Unfortunately, we had too many mental breakdowns. Details make such a huge difference for us. Good teams make sure their details are tight. When you don't, you get burned."
In the first half, RMU jumped out to leads of 14-8 and 16-10, as freshman guard
Matty McConnell connected twice from beyond the arc, while Whitley supplied four points. The Red Flash responded with a  13-2 surge to grab a 23-18 cushion, and the lead swelled to 29-22 with 6:15 left before the break after a trio of free throws from Ben Millaud-Meunier.
The Colonials closed to within 32-29 after a layup from sophomore forward
Andre Frederick, but back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute of the first stanza from Thompson and Millaud-Meunier gave SFU a 38-29 edge at halftime.
Robert Morris was led by Pryor, who finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of assists. Giles also reached double figures for the Colonials, scoring 11 points and grabbing six boards.
In addition to the double-double from Drinnon, Millaud-Meunier contributed 14 points, Thompson scored 12 and Angelou tallied 11.
A three-game homestand complete, RMU takes to the road for a 6:00 p.m. tip against Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday, Feb. 13, in Teaneck, N.J. The game will be televised live by Fox College Sports.
Notes: RMU employed its 10th different starting lineup this season … After forcing just eight turnovers in an 89-71 win over Bryant (2/6/16), the Colonials forced nine turnovers in the first half alone versus Saint Francis … Robert Morris committed just nine turnovers, the third consecutive game the Colonials have finished with single digits in miscues … The Colonials have scored at least 40 points in the paint in three of their last four games … RMU shot 51.2 percent (21-for-41) in two-point field goals … Sophomore forward
Andre Frederick finished 3-for-3 from the field against the Red Flash and has made five of his six shots from the floor over the last two games.
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