Men’s basketball wins behind career night from Still

Photo credit: Michael Evans

Rashad Christian
February 26, 2017

The last game of the Colonials’ regular season held a lot of weight.

A win would propel them up the Northeast Conference standings, and a loss would keep them in the same lower-tier spot. Also, the careers of the class of 2017 were celebrated during senior night. Finally, this game marked the last one ever played in the Charles L. Sewall Center.

And fortunately for the packed arena, the Colonials were able to send the 2,153 fans home with a 79-72 victory over the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Head coach Andy Toole was very appreciative of his squad’s feat, and he showed it during his press conference.

“Glad we were able to get a win for our seniors, as well for the last game in this building,” Toole said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

Early game struggles plagued the Colonials, as a layup by Joseph Lopez started an 18-7 run that opened up the game for the Pioneers. Though, Robert Morris proved its resiliency tonight. Thanks to a layup by senior guard Kavon Stewart, the Colonials pulled within one of the Pioneers.

After the first 20 minutes, Sacred Heart led, 36-35. Lopez paced all scorers with 10 points while grabbing seven boards. Isaiah Still and Kavon Stewart contributed five and seven points, respectively.

It seemed the game was destined for a very tight finish. However, Still and the Colonials were not ready for this contest to be a close one.

At the 13:24 mark of the second half, the score was 52-51 in favor of the Pioneers. After a layup by Stewart, the Colonials took a 53-52 lead and did not look back. Robert Morris did not relinquish its lead en route to 44 second-half points.

Still scored 25 of those points in the second half, ending the night with one of the best shooting performances of his career. Dachon Burke also had a night to remember, as he finished with a career high 17 points.

It was one of the first games of the season that didn’t see a major burst of frustration from coach Toole; in fact, he was pretty calm when it came to the post-game presser.

“Our energy and effort has been consistent,” Toole said. “We just continue to play. If we do that we can be successful.”

Impact Players

RMU

Isaiah Still – 28 points (77% FG), 6 rebounds, 6-of-7 3pt

Kavon Stewart – 15 points (75% FG), 5 assists, 8-of-13 FT

Sacred Heart

Joseph Lopez – 16 points (33% FG), 10 rebounds (4 OFF), 6-of-7 FT

Quincy McKnight – 16 points (35% FG), 5 rebounds (3 OFF), 2 steals

Next Game

Robert Morris Colonials at LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds @ 7pm

(MSG+, FSC, and NEC Front Row)