Photo credit: Justin Berl
Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team continued a three-game homestand Saturday by posting its first win of the 2016-17 campaign at the Charles L. Sewall Center with a 62-58 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn.
The Colonials built an 11-point cushion, 47-36, at the 11:23 mark of the second half after a tip-in from redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate, but the Terriers put together their most extended run of the contest to make it a one-possession game.
Rasheem Dunn started the surge for St. Francis Brooklyn (4-13, 2-2 NEC) with a three-pointer, while Glenn Sanabria connected from beyond the arc twice to bolster a 10-2 spurt to trim RMU's lead to 49-46.
Freshman guard
Dachon Burke helped stem the tide for Robert Morris (6-11, 2-2 NEC) by hitting a pair of free throws with 7:54 left to give the Colonials a 51-46 advantage. The two teams traded opportunities at the stripe before Keon Williams converted a fastbreak layup with 5:01 to go to pull the Terriers within one, 52-51.
However, St. Francis Brooklyn could never grab the lead, as sophomore guards
Matty McConnell and
Isaiah Still each went 1-for-2 at the chalk to give the Colonials a 54-51 edge with 2:22 to play.
SFC couldn't get a shot off, suffering a team turnover, after Still went 1-for-2 at the stripe, and senior guard
Kavon Stewart capitalized for Robert Morris, converting a layup with 1:29 to give the Colonials a 56-51 cushion.
Tate then came through for Robert Morris, converting in the lane with just under a minute to go on a feed from Still to push the advantage to 58-53. RMU sealed the win at the free-throw line, as McConnell and Stewart each hit a pair in the final 17 seconds.
"Thankful to get the win," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "I thought we played with the right energy and urgency in the first half. It was all effort. We relaxed in the second half. We need to be urgent for 40 minutes instead of 32 or 36."
RMU held a 34-25 advantage at halftime by attacking the rim, scoring 26 points in the paint and producing its other eight points at the free-throw line. Still was the main offensive force, scoring 15 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and a 5-for-7 performance from the line.
Still garnered game-high honors in scoring with 23 points, and he also tied for game-high honors in rebounds with seven. He finished 7-for-12 from the field, including 1-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 8-for-11 at the free-throw line.
Dachon Burke finished with nine points and five rebounds off the bench, freshman forward
Braden Burke chipped in six points and a block, while Tate registered six points, six boards and a rejection.
Sanabria paced St. Francis Brooklyn with 20 points on the strength of an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line, while Dunn contributed 13 points off the bench.
Robert Morris concludes a three-game homestand Thursday, Jan. 12, with a 6:00 p.m. tip against Saint Francis U in a game that will be televised live on Fox College Sports.
Stat Of The Night
 6 – Three-point field goal attempts by Robert Morris, tied for the lowest total under seventh-year head coach
Andrew Toole. RMU went 0-for-6 against La Salle (11/25/11).
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