Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team wrapped up a three-game homestand Thursday at the Charles L. Sewall Center by dropping a 77-57 decision to Saint Francis U.
The Red Flash (6-10, 3-2 NEC) shot 63 percent (17-for-27) from the field in the second half and 58.5 percent (31-for-53) overall, with Josh Nebo leading the way with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.
SFU grabbed an early 12-5 advantage at the 14:38 mark of the first half after Isaiah Blackmon converted a layup, but the Colonials (6-12, 2-3 NEC) used a 19-6 run to grab a 24-18 advantage with 6:43 left before halftime.
RMU received a balanced attack offensively, as sophomore guard
Isaiah Still and freshman guard
Dachon Burke each scored five points, while redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate added four points.
Saint Francis U charged back courtesy of the three-pointer, as Georgios Angelou knocked down a pair to tie the score, 26-26, and Blackmon converted a fastbreak layup to push the Red Flash back in front, 28-26. SFU eventually entered the break with a 36-30 lead. In the final five minutes of the first stanza, RMU shot just 1-for-6 from the field and suffered five turnovers.
Keith Braxton would help the Red Flash grab their first double-digit lead, 41-30, with a layup early in the second half, but the Colonials scored the next seven points of the contest to trim their deficit to 41-37 with 16:13 to go. Senior guard
Kavon Stewart converted in the paint, Still hit a pair of free throws and sophomore guard
Matty McConnell knocked down a three-pointer.
Saint Francis U weathered the surge by Robert Morris and pushed their lead back to double digits, 52-41, with 9:05 to play after a layup from Blackmon. The cushion eventually swelled to 77-57 with 1:31 to go after a jumper in the paint from Nebo.
In the second half the Red Flash scored 26 points in the paint and finished with 46 overall, holding a +24 margin in the category.
"Another frustrating game," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "I'm honestly not sure what to say or do. Not competing is extremely frustrating. We just can't seem to figure it out. We're not a team that rocks and rolls on offense. Give Saint Francis credit, as they got to their formula better than we did. Got their shots. Shared the ball."
McConnell led the Colonials with 15 points and added six rebounds and four steals for the Colonials. Also reaching double figures for Robert Morris was Stewart and Burke, who each scored 12.
Five players reached double figures for Saint Francis U, as joining Nebo was Blackmon and Braxton (14 each) and Jamaal King and Angelou (12 each).
RMU takes to the road for its next contest, visiting Staten Island, N.Y., for a 4:00 p.m. tip against Wagner at the Spiro Sports Center.
Stat Of The Night
50 – Percent Saint Francis U shot from beyond the arc, the first time an opponent shot better than 43 percent from deep in the last 10 games against Robert Morris.
Tweet Of The Night
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