Toledo blows out Robert Morris

Toledo shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) from the field as the Rockets improved to 6-4 on the 2014-15 campaign, while the Colonials slipped to 3-7 on the year.

UT jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first four and-a-half minutes behind a balanced offensive attack that featured points from all five starters, including a 3-pointer from Brown.

Robert Morris weathered the flurry and closed to within 13-10 after a layup from senior guard David Appolon and a jumper from freshman guard Marcquise Reed, but each time the Colonials came close, Brown came up with a big basket for the Rockets. His 3-pointer at the 13:23 mark of the first half gave Toledo a 16-12 advantage.

Late in the first half, Reed would convert a layup on a feed from sophomore guard Kavon Stewart to close RMU's deficit to 23-17, but Brown came through again with another triple. Appolon and Reed would follow by scoring to make it 26-21 in favor of the Rockets, but Brown was there again with yet another 3-pointer to help keep the Colonials at bay.

UT owned a 40-28 lead at the break as Brown scored 14 points before intermission on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Robert Morris converted 13 of its 30 shots in the first half, a success rate of 43.3 percent, but were just 1-for-11 (9.1%) from beyond the arc.

Weatherspoon took over early in the second half for the Rockets, scoring six consecutive points, and a Brown 3-pointer with 17:56 remaining gave Toledo a 49-29 cushion. Robert Morris never threatened the rest of the contest, with Jonathan Williams giving UT its biggest advantage, 72-46, with 5:49 to play.

Toledo's Julius Brown went off for 27 points, including seven 3-pointers, as the Rockets beat the Colonials 83-57.

Brown finished 10-for-12 shooting from the floor, including 7-for-8 from deep, to take home game-high honors in scoring, and also added five assists and two steals. Weatherspoon added 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Justin Drummond contributed 10 points and four assists.

Center Nathan Boone gave the Rockets a boost as despite scoring six points grabbed eight boards and dished out a game-high seven assists.

Robert Morris was paced by Reed, who finished with 18 points, three assists and three steals. He finished 7-for-11 shooting from the field, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-6 at the free-throw line. Appolon was the only other player from RMU to reach doubles figures in scoring, contributing 12 points and five assists off the bench.

The Colonials shot 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from the field in the second half and 40.4 percent (21-for-52) overall but managed to convert just three of their 18 attempts from deep, a season-low 16.7 percent success rate, and were just 12-of-24 (50 percent) at the charity stripe.

Robert Morris will look to get back in the win column in its final non-conference home game of the 2014-15 campaign Monday, Dec. 22, when it welcomes Delaware to the Charles L. Sewall Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.