New Britain, Conn. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded the road portion of its 2016-17 regular-season schedule Saturday by earning a 74-64 victory over Central Connecticut at Detrick Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils grabbed an early 10-5 advantage by hitting five of their first nine shots of the field, but the Colonials (11-18, 7-9 NEC) used a 10-1 run to grab a 15-11 lead with 10:46 to play in the first half. Freshman guard
Clive Allen was the main offensive force during the run, scoring eight points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Austin Nehls and Khalen Cumberlander each converted layups for CCSU (5-22, 3-13 NEC) to knot the game, 15-15, but RMU outscored Central Connecticut, 21-6, over the final 9:11 of the first half to grab a 36-21 lead at the break.
It was a balanced attack offensively for Robert Morris before the break, as in the addition to the eight points from Allen sophomore guard
Isaiah Still scored seven points, redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate added six and sophomore
Matty McConnell contributed five.
Senior guard
Kavon Stewart opened the scoring in the second half with a jumper in the lane, and a pair of free throws from Still gave the Colonials their largest advantage of the contest, 40-21, with 18:02 to go.
The Blue Devils responded with a 14-0 spurt to close to within 40-35 with 15:31 remaining. Cumberlander scored eight points during the surge, while Nehls scored four points.
Freshman forward
Braden Burke stemmed the tide for RMU by hitting the front end of a pair of free throws, and Still followed with a jumper to push the advantage for the Colonials to 43-35. Still pushed the lead back to double digits for Robert Morris, 46-36, courtesy of a three-pointer at the 13:02 mark of the second half.
The lead swelled to 14 with 6:14 to go, 59-45, after another Still layup, but Central Connecticut had one last charge. A 9-1 run that featured five points from Nehls and four from Cumberlander closed the deficit for the Blue Devils to 60-54 with 3:35 left.
Robert Morris was able to seal the victory at the free-throw line, converting 14 of its 16 attempts in the final 2:48 of the game. It was part of a 31-for-43 (72.1 percent) performance overall for the Colonials at the stripe.
"We knew Central was going to make a run and would come back," head coach
Andrew Toole. "They continue to fight and play hard. Our guys persevered. Every victory we get is a positive. We have a lot of young guys that are learning how to win. We're learning that you don't have to shoot great to make winning plays."
Still paced RMU with 22 points and also added eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. Allen contributed a career-high 12 points to go along with two assists, while Tate finished with 10 points and eight boards.
Cumberlander garnered game-high honors in scoring with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-6 from deep, while going 3-for-6 at the free-throw line. Nehls added 14 points and three assists.
Robert Morris returns home to close out the 2016-17 regular season at the Charles L. Sewall Center. In the final two games in the history of the facility, the Colonials host Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday, Feb. 23, for a 7:00 p.m. tip and Sacred Heart Saturday, Feb. 25, at 3:30 p.m. for Senior Day festivities.
Follow The Colonials: Twitter | Instagram
