Robert Morris tops Lafayette

Easton, PA – Junior guard Karvel Anderson scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, all of which came in the final 6:15 of action, to help lift the Robert Morris University men's basketball team to a 90-81 victory over Lafayette Tuesday night at the Kirby Sports Center.

The Colonials improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Leopards slipped to 0-2.

RMU climbed out of an 11-point deficit for the victory, as Lafayette had taken a 59-48 lead with 14:01 to play after Seth Hinrichs converted a pair at the free-throw line.

Junior guard David Appolon began the final push for Robert Morris with five straight points that was part of a 7-0 spurt to pull the Colonials within 59-55.

Lafayette weathered the surge, as a jumper from Hinrichs and a three-pointer from Bryce Scott quickly gave the Leopards to a 64-55 advantage.

Hinrichs added a dunk with 9:12 remaining to give Lafayette a 66-57 edge, but a 7-0 run that featured a pair of three-pointers from junior guard Desjuan Newton and a trifecta by junior forward Lucky Jones pulled the Colonials to within 68-66.

Scott would keep RMU at bay with a pair of free throws before Anderson took over on offense for the Colonials. His layup with 5:35 to play tied the game, 70-70, and his three-pointer at the 3:52 mark gave Robert Morris a 75-73 lead.

Scott's layup for Lafayette tied the game for the ninth time, 75-75, but senior forward Mike McFadden gave RMU the lead for good on a dunk thanks to a feed from Anderson at the 3:19 mark of the second half.

Anderson sealed the win in the final 1:47 by scoring seven points, including a three-point play after a layup and foul by Hinrichs that gave RMU an 80-75 edge.

In a game that featured 14 lead changes, including 12 in the first half, Robert Morris owned a 40-39 edge at halftime thanks to 22 points from its bench.

Junior guard Charles Oliver scored eight points before the break, while Appolon added five points.

Anderson finished 7-for-13 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line to lead five Colonials in double figures scoring.

Jones finished with 14 points, while McFadden, Appolon and Newton each scored 10 points. For Appolon, it marked his first career double-figure scoring game, while Newton grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Scott paced Lafayette with 25 points, while Dan Trist recorded 18 points and 12 boards. Hinrichs chipped in 16 points for the Leopards, while Joey Ptasinski finished with 15 points.

RMU continues its three-game road swing Thursday, Nov. 14, with a 7:30 p.m. tip at Eastern Michigan.