Brooklyn, N.Y. – The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a 96-82 victory over LIU Brooklyn at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
The 96 points are the most by the Colonials in the Andy Toole era as RMU established season highs in both field goal percentage (.596) and three-point field goal percentage (.667).
RMU (14-13, 8-6 NEC) never trailed in the contest, jumping out to leads of 6-1 and 12-4. Junior guard
Matty McConnell and sophomore guard
Dachon Burke each connected for three pointers, while freshman forward
Chris Coalmon converted in the lane.
LIU Brooklyn trimmed its deficit to 13-12 after Zach Coleman went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line, but the Colonials used an 18-2 run to open up their biggest lead of the game, 31-14, with seven minutes left before halftime.
Burke and McConnell each again hit from deep, while freshman forward
Charles Bain also hit a three-pointer. Burke led the way during the surge with eight points.
Robert Morris was able to keep its lead in double digits until late in the first half, when the Blackbirds (13-14, 8-6 NEC) closed to within 40-31 at halftime.
Bain opened the scoring in the second half with a three-pointer to get the lead back to double digits for the Colonials, 43-31, and a tip-in from Coalmon with 13:25 remaining pushed the advantage to 57-44.
The contest featured 55 fouls, including 30 by RMU. LIU Brooklyn converted at the stripe and used a quick 9-4 spurt to close to within 68-64 with 9:26 to go. Raiquan Clark converted a layup, while Raul Frias scored five points courtesy of a dunk and a three-pointer.
Robert Morris stemmed the tide, as McConnell drilled a three-pointer with nine minutes left to give the Colonials a 71-64 edge. Bain would add his third triple of the game to push RMU's lead to 74-65, and a free throw with 7:43 to go helped push the lead back to double digits, 75-65.
"One of the biggest keys was we took good shots," head coach
Andrew Toole. "We worked the ball and made extra passes. It allowed us to create some opportunities for our guys to get to the basket and finish. Dachon and Matty were tremendous tonight. We need to have guys we can count on each night, and those two led the way."
Junior forward
Seth Rouse also came up big in the second half for Robert Morris, as his layup off an offensive rebound kept the lead in double digits, 77-67, with 6:55 to play.
"How cool was Seth and his effort for us," Toole said. "His rebound and put back was critical. I thought we had really good energy at the beginning and it carried the whole way throughout the game."
Twice in the next two minutes the Blackbirds closed to within five, including 81-76 after a three-pointer by Julian Batts. Robert Morris took control, however, with a 12-2 run that featured four points each from Burke and freshman forward
Koby Thomas.
Burke and McConnell each established career highs in the victory, with Burke finishing with 29 points and McConnell 23. Combined, the duo shot 17-of-26 from the field, including 7-for-10 from beyond the arc. Bain added 14 points and six rebounds, while Thomas scored 11.
LIU Brooklyn was led by Joel Hernandez, who finished with 23 points, three assists and a pair of steals. Batts added 18, Clark 16 and Jashaun Agosto 10 for the Blackbirds.
Robert Morris concludes the home portion of its 2017-18 regular season with a pair of games at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University. The Colonials open the two-game stand Thursday, Feb. 15, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Bryant.
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