Hackensack, N.J. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened a three-game road trip Saturday with an 81-75 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson at Stratis Arena. The Colonials eclipsed the 80-point plateau for the fourth consecutive game, the first time turning the trick since January of 1991.
The Colonials (11-8, 5-1 NEC) trailed entering the second half, 37-35, as the Knights shot 50 percent (16-for-32) from the field and owned their biggest advantage, 26-17, at the 8:30 mark of the first half when Jahlil Jenkins scored a layup off a steal.
RMU was able to trim its deficit to two at the break and owned its first lead of the contest, 41-39, with 17:22 to go courtesy of a layup from freshman guard
Jon Williams. That set up a back-and-forth affair the rest of the contest.
Williams gave Robert Morris the lead for good, 63-61, with 6:49 remaining, connecting from beyond the arc on a feed from freshman guard
Leondre Washington. Fairleigh Dickinson (5-12, 2-4 NEC) came back to tie the game twice in the final five minutes but could never grab the lead back.
Elyjah Williams converted in the lane with 4:13 to play to tie the game, 68-68, but Washington answered on RMU's next possession, taking a long feed from junior guard
Matty McConnell to convert a layup and push the Colonials back in front. Washington was fouled on the play and converted the free throw to give Robert Morris a 71-68 advantage.
At the 2:47 mark of the second half, Kaleb Bishop would knot the game for the final time, 72-72, but hitting a pair of free throws. Sophomore guard
Dachon Burke answered with a pair of his own at the charity stripe with 2:24 left to push the Colonials in front, 74-72, and his slam with 1:23 remaining gave Robert Morris a 76-73 lead.
"We had a lack of defensive energy today that we need to clean up," head coach
Andrew Toole. "We have not been crisp the past few weeks on the defensive end of the floor, and we have to figure out a way to clean that up moving forward."
Burke led RMU with 25 points and seven rebounds while also notching a pair of steals. He shot 8-for-20 from the floor but was a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. Washington, playing across the river from his hometown of Teaneck, N.J., contributed 14 points, two assists and two steals. He converted eight of his 10 attempts at the stripe as Robert Morris finished 26-for-33 (78.8%) as a team.
Also reaching double figures for the Colonials was McConnell, who finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four steals.
Fairleigh Dickinson was led by Mike Holloway, who recorded a double-double with 24 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. Noah Morgan and Jahlil Jenkins each scored 12 points for the Knights, while Williams contributed 10 off the bench.
"We have to be able to get stops and rely on our defense," Toole said. "Holloway is a monster. I thought our zone allowed us to at least not let him be the feature for a stretch in the second half, and that was a big help. We have a lot to get better at. We've been fortunate the past couple of games, and we're gonna really focus on cleaning up what we need to moving forward."
RMU continues its road trip Thursday, Jan. 18, with 6:00 p.m. tip against Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.
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