Nov. 19, 2010

Box Score

PITTSBURGH - A standout effort by senior Bill Clark was not enough as Robert Morris (2-1) rallied from a 13-point first half deficit to defeat Duquesne (1-1) 69-63 at the Sewall Center.

Karon Abraham and Russell Johnson led the Colonials with 15 and 13 points respectively to outshine Clark who hit 5-of-12 3-point attempts in scoring a game-high 22.

There were a total of five ties and three lead changes over a nearly 10 minute span of the second half before Coron Williams buried a 3-pointer to put the Colonials up 61-58 with just under four minutes left. Duquesne cut it to one on a B.J. Monteiro layup with 3:05 to go before Johnson slipped a screen for a wide open layup to put the Colonials up 63-60 on their next possession.

Duquesne trailed by three with 31 seconds left, but couldn't close the gap as RMU hit 3-of-4 free throws over the final 31 seconds to seal the win. The Dukes, who went 10-of-28 from the 3-point arc for the game, missed three 3-point attempts in the final 36 seconds.

T.J. McConnell was the only other Duke in double figures with 12 points. Forward Damian Saunders finished with seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks for DU.

Robert Morris, which outrebounded the Duquesne 48-34 outscored the Dukes 18-7 in second chance points - including a 13-1 margin in the second half.

"They were just flat hungrier than we were," said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. "They played with more passion and beat us up on the glass. They were a better team than us tonight. There was no question about it."

Duquesne hit 4-of-8 3-pointers in jumping out to a 23-10 lead, but the Colonials rallied to cut it to 35-32 at the half. DU maintained its lead until Abraham tied it at 42-42 on a 3-pointer at the 13:36 mark.

Both teams turned it over 21 times in a physical contest that saw a total of 47 fouls called.

"Robert Morris got after us pressure-wise," said Everhart. "They made us panic. We have to get back to work on executing our offense."

Duquesne returns to action on Monday, Nov. 22 at Bowling Green (1-2).

NOTES

• Duquesne went 7-of-15 from the 3-point arc in the first half and 3-of-13 in the second.

• Freshman Mike Talley led DU with four assists (with zero turnovers) ... he tied Clark for game-high with three steals.

• This was the first game for senior preseason first team All-Atlantic 10 forward Damian Saunders who missed two exhibitions and the opener versus Bluefield State due to a violation of team rules ... Saunders had seven points and a team highs in rebounds (8) and blocks (3) in a team-high 33 minutes ... Saunders is now 10 blocks shy of the Duquense career record of 229 set by Derrick Alston from 1991-94.

• Sixteen of the 20 players who played committed at least one turnover ... the only two turnover-free Dukes were Mike Talley and Andre Marhold.