The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team lost, 95-45, to host Robert Morris at the Sewall Center in Moon Township, PA on Thursday night. The Knights fall to 6-15 overall, with a 2-9 mark in the Northeast Conference, while the Colonials improve to 18-6, with a 9-2 record in league action.
Senior guard Manny Ubilla (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) led the Knights with 17 points and senior forward Eric Hazard (Long Branch, NJ/St. Benedict's) added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Freshman forward DeJuan Pursley (Leonia, NJ/Leonia) added nine points and five rebounds.
The Colonials were able to jump out to an 8-0 lead on four points apiece from Tony Lee and Jeremy Chappell.
RMU stretched its lead to 13-4 on a three from Chappell, but Ubilla swished a three from the top of the arc to bring the gap down to six. Robert Morris then staged a 7-0 run to take a double-digit edge.
A dunk from Pursley followed by a bucket from Ubilla made it a 27-13 game with 9:50 remaining in the game.
Ubilla connected on two from the line and then netted a jumper to cut the gap to 34-22 with 6:21 left in the first frame, but the Colonials closed out the half with a 19-4 run to take a 53-26 lead into the break.
Ubilla entered the half leading all scorers with 14 points. The Knights shot 42 percent in the first half, while the Colonials connected on 56 percent.
The Knights were out-rebounded, 21-12, in the first 20 minutes, while RMU also held advantages in the paint (26-6), on fast break points (8-0) and points off turnovers (16-0).
Robert Morris opened the half with a 22-4 run to take a 75-30 lead with 11:09 left in the game. The Knights were able to stage an 8-2 run, capped by a dunk from Pursley.
Hazard connected on a trey with seven seconds left to make the final 95-45.
The Colonials had five players finish in double-digits, led by 17 points from Chappell. Robert Morris held a 46-26 edge on the boards and finished the game shooting 53 percent from the floor. The Colonials had eight turnovers, while forcing 21 from FDU.
“We knew coming in that we were handicapped with only eight players- four scholarship and four walk-ons,” said Head Coach Tom Green. “We knew it was a very difficult assignment to start with, to say the least.”
“We were undermanned and out-played,” said Green. “Robert Morris is a very talented team and they certainly showed why they are at the top of the league tonight.”
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 9 in Loretto, PA at St. Francis PA at 7:00 p.m.
