Pittsburgh, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball opened a four-game homestand at PPG Paints Arena Thursday with a 64-56 victory over Sacred Heart.
Trailing 48-46, with 7:43 remaining, the Colonials hung a 15-0 run on the Pioneers to take control.
Freshman forward
Koby Thomas tied the game for the eighth time, 48-48, by converting a pair of free throws at the 7:25 mark of the second half, and he followed with a steal and fast break dunk to ignite the deciding surge.
Freshman forward
Charles Bain followed with a driving layup, which forced SHU to call timeout. The break couldn't stem the tide, as the Pioneers missed six consecutive shots from the field while turning the ball over three times during the Robert Morris run.
Junior guard
Matty McConnell scored in the lane on a feed from freshman guard
Leondre Washington with 4:28 to go that pushed RMU's lead to 54-48, and five straight points from Washington, including a layup and a three-pointer, gave the Colonials their first double-digit advantage, 59-48.
Sophomore guard
Dachon Burke capped the run with a jumper from the elbow with 2:07 left.
"I thought in the last eight minutes we really tightened up on the defensive end," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "We've been talking to our guys about how important it is to play defense, and I thought tonight was really the first time in conference play where despite our shots not falling at times we continued to defend and grind it out."
RMU (13-9, 7-2 NEC) held its biggest lead of the first half at the 4:59 mark, 21-14, courtesy of a Washington layup. The Pioneers responded with a 10-3 run to grab a 26-24 edge. Joseph Lopez scored four points, while Kinnon LaRose and Mario Matasovic each connected from beyond the arc.
The Colonials were able to send the game tied into the break, 26-26, after a layup from Washington.
Five times early in the second half Robert Morris was able to grab a four-point advantage, but Sacred Heart (7-15, 2-7 NEC) would answer each time. The Pioneers used an 8-0 spurt to grab a 46-42 lead with 10:15 to play before the Colonials made their final charge.
Burke paced RMU with 17 points and also added four rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Washington finished with 11 points off the bench. Thomas added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while graduate transfer
Ronnie Gombe came off the bench and finished with four points, seven caroms and three rejections.
Sean Hoehn paced SHU with 17 points and also recorded five boards, four assists and a pair of steals. LaRose and Alex Watson each scored 10 points for the Pioneers.
Robert Morris returns to action at PPG Paints Arena Sunday, Jan. 28, with a 2:00 p.m. tip against Wagner.
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