Robert Morris wins fifth straight over Duquesne

The loss knocked the Dukes under .500 for the first time this season.

Duquesne came into this game hoping to snap a pair of losing streaks: two straight losses on the season and four straight defeats to the Colonials, but the Dukes were unable to find their offensive rhythm all game, and they lost their second contest in the young season to a team that was at least three games under .500.

“We really showed our youth today...we were so bad offensively,” Duquesne head coach Jim Ferry said.

Duquesne shot themselves in the foot early, committing five fouls in the first four minutes, including a pair on forward L.G. Gill. The Colonials took advantage of the Dukes’ mistakes and went on a 10-0 run to take an early 10-3 lead.

Duquesne could not find their footing on either side of the court throughout the first half, and Robert Morris extended their lead to 25-14 with nine minutes remaining in the half after the Dukes were charged with a technical. Duquesne was able to hit enough shots down the stretch to keep it a ballgame at the half, but Robert Morris went into the locker room ahead comfortably 39-30.

Robert Morris was able to keep Duquesne’s best offensive players at bay throughout the first half, and the Dukes shot just 32.3 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3-point range. Guard Micah Mason shot uncharacteristically poorly from beyond the arc, going 1-4 on 3-point attempts in the half and 1-7 in the game. Freshman center TySean Powell, who entered today as one of the nation’s leaders in field goal percentage, was held to just one attempt in the first half. The lone highlight came from Eric James, who racked up 11 points while shooting 3-7 from the field.

For Robert Morris, guards Kavon Stewart and Rodney Pryor stole the show. Stewart, despite not making a field goal, went 4-5 from the line, had six assists and grabbed three steals in the first 20 minutes. Pryor scored 14 points and was 3-4 from 3-point range.

Junior guard Derrick Colter gave the Dukes a spark at the start of the second half by completing a four-point play and then making back-to-back 3-pointers, pulling Duquesne to 46-42 with 15:47 left.

But the Colonials pulled away again, going on another double digit scoring run, this time 14-0 over the course of more than six minutes of game time. The Colonials did not allow the Dukes to get back into the game again, and they coasted through the last part of the half for the victory.

The Dukes shot worse in the second half, making only 30 percent of their attempted field goals to end the game with a 31.1 percent field goal shooting percentage, including under 23 percent from beyond the arc. Colter was the only Duquesne starter to make more than two buckets today.The Colonials shot 46.4 percent on the game, including 45.5 percent from downtown.

Stewart was one of two Colonials with a double-double, the other being center Elijah Minnie. Minnie ended with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Stewart had 12 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Colter and James led the Duquesne attack with 17 points apiece, while Pryor scored a game high 25.

The Dukes will be returning to the A.J. Palumbo Center on the 17th for a matchup with St. Francis. The game will kick-off a four game homestand that will last the rest of 2014, and they will be the last four non-conference games for Duquesne this season.