Robert Morris drops fourth straight

Looking for its first win of the season, Robert Morris University traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on Air Force Sunday evening.

The game opened on a good note, as the Colonials rode a 16-point half by senior guard Rodney Pryor to a 22-21 halftime lead over the Falcons. RMU kept the pressure on to start the second half, as tres by Isaiah Still and Elijah Minnie and a dunk from Andre Frederick made the lead 30-23, which forced an Air Force timeout with 17:25 remaining.

The lead slowly evaporated from there.

The Falcons went on a 16-5 run to take the lead, which they did not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. RMU hung tough, however, pulling within two multiple times only to see Air Force respond each time. It pulled away for good around the six-minute mark, as a Trevor Lyons steal and layup put Air Force up 10.

AF eventually built the lead up to 14, and RMU could not muster a run of its own, losing 64-52.

Pryor finished the game with 25 points, shooting 9 of 18 from the field, 4 of 10 from beyond the arc and a perfect 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. He also added 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Minnie produced the team’s second-best performance, recording 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block.

While Still pitched in eight points, the rest of the team did not provide much support offensively for Pryor and Minnie. The five other players to see the floor combined for nine points on 4 of 19 shooting, 21 percent. As a whole, Robert Morris converted 33.9 percent of its field goal attempts, including an 8-for-28 night from three-point land.

Oppositely, Air Force had four players eclipse the double-digit scoring mark. Forward Hayden Graham led the way with 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, falling just shy of the school’s first ever triple-double performance. Lyons came in not far behind with 14 points. Center Zach Moer notched 12 points and seven rebounds, and Ryan Manning scored 11 off the bench to go along with five rebounds.

Air Force shot just 37.9 percent from the field, but perhaps the biggest advantages came in foul shots—the Falcons made 11 free throws compared to Robert Morris’ four—and rebounds, which was 47-36 in favor of AF.

The Falcons, now 3-1, will look for their fourth win in a row when they take on equally 3-1 Colorado on Wednesday in Boulder. Meanwhile, Robert Morris drops to 0-4 on the season. The Colonials will look to notch win No. 1 Tuesday when they take on New Mexico as they continue play in the Air Force Classic.