| RMU Comes From Behind to Garner 73-72 Win Over Duquesne |
| Senior forward A.J. Jackson’s (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) pair of free throws with 15 seconds left lifted the Robert Morris University men’s basketball team to a come-from-behind 73-72 win over Duquesne Saturday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Dukes had a pair of chances to try and win it in the end. Scott Grote’s jumper with less than two seconds to play was off the mark, but Aaron Jackson came up with the offensive rebound and Duquesne called timeout with 0.5 seconds left. Out of the timeout the ball was put in Grote’s hands again, but his jumper from the corner hit the front of the rim, allowing the Colonials to complete their comeback. The win improves RMU to 5-1 overall on the 2006-07 campaign, while the Dukes fell to 2-4.
Robert Morris trailed by seven, 70-63, with 2:51 remaining, but the Colonials reeled off eight unanswered points to take a 71-70 advantage with 1:09 to play. Sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) started the spurt with a layup off an offensive rebound, and Jackson slammed home a dunk on an assist from junior guard Tony Lee (Boston, Mass. / Charlestown). After a turnover by Duquesne’s Reggie Jackson, the Colonials closed to within one, 70-69, on a Lee layup. Lee would then give Robert Morris the lead, 71-70, off a third straight Dukes turnover thanks to a layup, but Robert Mitchell answered for Duquesne with a jumper to push the Dukes back on top, 72-71. The Colonials called timeout with 32 seconds to go, and after a pair of missed jumpers by RMU, A.J. Jackson was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound by Reggie Jackson of the Dukes. A.J. Jackson then hit his pair from the charity stripe to give the Colonials the lead. RMU jumped out to a quick 7-1 lead in the game but Duquesne fought back to take a 9-7 advantage on the strength of a pair of three-pointers from Grote. The first half featured nine ties and seven lead changes, with neither club holding a lead of larger than six after the opening burst by Robert Morris. In the second half Duquesne pushed its lead to double digits, 58-48, in the first eight minutes as Mitchell scored nine points during a 12-2 Dukes run. Duquesne held an eight-point advantage with 7:14 to play and a pair of seven-point leads in the last five minutes before the Colonials completed their comeback. Mitchell led all scorers in the game with 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. A.J. Jackson paced Robert Morris, scoring 18 of his 22 points in the second half while adding nine rebounds in a full 40 minutes of work. He was one of three Colonials to score in double figures, as Lee finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and eight steals, while senior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, Mass. / Charlestown) added 14. Robert Morris opens its 2006-07 Northeast Conference schedule Thursday, Dec. 7, when it travels to Fairfield, Conn., for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Sacred Heart. It marks the start of a two-game road swing for the Colonials to open league play, as RMU will also visit Wagner Saturday, Dec. 9, for a noon tilt. Notes: Duquesne shot 58 percent (29-for-50) from the field, including 60 percent (15-for-25) in the second half, but committed 21 turnovers … Lee’s eight steals is a new career high and also established a new Sewall Center record … RMU converted 42.2 percent (27-for-64) of its shots and were just 5-of-19 (26.3 percent) from beyond the arc, including 1-for-9 in the second half … Robert Morris outrebounded Duquesne, 34-29, and owned a 17-7 edge on the offensive glass … Chappell finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three steals. |
| Released: 12/02/2006 |