Mount St. Mary's surges to 76-52 win over RMU

BK Ashe scored a game-high 17 points to help lead Mount St. Mary's to a 76-52 victory over the Robert Morris University men's basketball team Thursday at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

The Mount, which snapped an eight-game losing streak to RMU in regular-season contests, improved to 7-11 overall and 4-1 in the Northeast Conference, while the Colonials dipped to 3-15 and 1-4 in league play.

Tied, 4-4, with 16:01 to go in the first half after a layup from freshman guard Matty McConnell, Mount St. Mary's took control with a 32-5 run to grab 36-9 advantage with just two minutes left before halftime.

Robert Morris shot just 21.7 percent (5-for-23) from the field, was unsuccessful on each of its five attempts from beyond the arc and finished just 3-for-8 at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes of action.

Will Miller bolstered the Mount in the first half with a 4-for-6 performance from beyond the arc for 12 points, while Ashe added 10 points and seven rebounds.

McConnell scored 12 of his career-high 16 points in the second half to pace Robert Morris, including a three-pointer at the 11:15 mark of the second half that trimmed RMU's deficit to 56-33. He also grabbed five rebounds and registered three steals.

"I'm embarrassed," head coach Andrew Toole said. "There just isn't a buy-in with our program right now. The number of times we see the same plays occur and don't fix it is what drives you crazy. I'm responsible for it all, and for whatever reason I can't get these guys to come together. It's driving me insane."

Junior guard Kavon Stewart also reached double figures for the Colonials, finishing with 12 points, two assists and three steals.

Ashe led five Mountaineers in double figures and recorded a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds. In addition to 12 points from Miller, Gregory Graves and Chris Wray each finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Taylor Danaher scored 10 points, grabbed eight boards and blocked two shots off the bench.

RMU concludes a two-game homestand Saturday, Jan. 16, with a 4:00 p.m. tip against Fairleigh Dickinson at the Sewall Center.