HACKENSACK, N.J. – Robert Morris used a pair of second-half scoring runs to get past the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team 77-68 on Friday evening. 

Robert Morris (8-4, 1-0 NEC) used a 16-0 run over three-plus minutes in the third to take a 52-37 with 4:51 left in the period. Fairleigh Dickinson (8-4, 0-1 NEC) immediately answered with a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to bring the game back to six, 52-46. Kamrin Weimer had hit a 3-pointer to give the Knights a 37-36 lead before the run by the Colonials. 

The decisive run from the Colonials came over a span of 1:03 in the fourth quarter that brought the game from 59-54 to 68-54 with 4:25 to play in the game. Megan Smith had seven of the nine for Robert Morris. 

The Knights tried to comeback in the closing minutes of the game and did a majority of the damage from the free throw line. Seven of the Knights final 12 points came from the charity stripe and allowed Fairleigh Dickinson to get the final score down to nine. 

For the game, the Knights were 30-of-38 from the free throw line compared to Robert Morris's 13-of-21. The 30 makes for the Knights are the most making 32 against Howard back on November 16, 2009. 

Head coach Peter Cinella postgame, "I was happy with how we rebound the ball. Kamrin had a good shooting, and we did a good job of getting to the free throw line. You have to give Robert Morris credit. They came in and hit some tough shots and played a solid game."

Robert Morris countered the Knights free throw shooting by hitting its field goals at a 50-percent clip and 62-percent from 3-point range. That is the highest percentage from three a Fairleigh Dickinson opponent has shot this season. Robert Morris made 10, which is also season-high for a Knight opponent. 

Honoka Ikematsu led all scorers with 23 points—6-of-7 from three. Four other Colonials were in double figures, led by Smith's 15. 

Weimer finished with a career-high 18 points to lead the Knights. Lauren Francillon and Amina Markovic recorded double-doubles. Markovic had 16 points and 10 rebounds on 4-of-10 from the field and 8-of-12 from the line. Francillon added 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench on 2-of-10 shooting and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. 

As a team, the Knights shot 16-of-49 from the field and 6-of-14 from behind the arc. The Knights did outrebound Robert Morris by 10, 40-30. 

Cinella added, "A positive from today is the rebounding. Now we have to get back to finding the open man with swinging the basketball." 

Saint Francis U comes to the Rothman Center on Sunday afternoon for game two of the weekend for the Knights. The tip is at 2 p.m. against the Red Flash. The game will be shown live on NECFrontRow.com.