Colonials Corner

Mezie Nwigwe shoots over Brad Wanamaker Monday night. AP Photo.

The knowledge will be important down the road. As bitter as a loss always tastes, Robert Morris will walk away from Monday night’s 77-53 loss to No. 25 Pitt with information that perhaps they did not have prior to their annual showdown at the Petersen Events Center.

“We were able to play with them, especially our young guys who were able to attack and move the defense,” Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice said. “They made some adjustments and made it more difficult.”

Robert Morris led throughout much of the first half, playing a strong 18 minutes behind a stout defense that adjusted well to Pitt’s motion offense. With the score tied at 32 with 2:38 left in the half, Pitt gained a little separation to go into the break leading 39-33.

“The first half, we were doing a lot of switching and we weren’t closing out good enough,” Pitt guard Jermaine Dixon said. “Coach got on us, told us to pick our intensity in the second half and it worked.”

By the time the second half got up to speed, Robert Morris had lost any momentum and Pitt was well in front on the back of an 8-0 run to start the half. Robert Morris didn’t hit a field goal in the second half

“We just didn’t come out with the same energy and aggressiveness,” Rice said. “There were times that I thought we looked like a pretty good team and there were times that I thought we had some things to work on.”

The good came primarily in the first half as Robert Morris shot over 65% in the first ten minutes. Karon Abraham scored 14 points in the half (finished with 16) while Velton Jones had all 10 of his points in the first half. But Abraham was held relatively silent in the second half – Rice even pulled him for a five minute stretch for what he described as a teaching opportunity – and the Colonials couldn’t find the same offensive rhythm.

Velton Jones drives for a lay-up versus Gary McGhee. AP Photo.

“We can compete with them, but we have to keep going for 40 minutes,” Jones said. “We can’t stop and play good for a stretch of 7 minutes and then let up for 5 minutes. In the NEC you can get away with that sometimes. We learned we have to keep it going for the full 40 minutes.”

Pitt defensive stopper Jermaine Dixon spent much of the second half focusing solely on Abraham, and head coach Jamie Dixon said the adjustment wasn’t so much tactical as it was settling in against the opponent.

“Really as the first half went on, I think we got used to the quickness of their guards,” Jamie Dixon said. “Sometimes when you play those smaller guards that we don’t usually see in the Big East, you can be surprised by their quickness. And they were hitting shots too.”

Robert Morris and Pitt will head back to their respective conferences with the rivalry game out of the way and perhaps a few new wrinkles to their overall game. At 18-6, Pitt seems destined for an NCAA Tournament spot provided they can finish with a respectable Big East record and 20 wins. Robert Morris’ NCAA Tournament spot will be a bit more difficult, requiring the automatic bid from the NEC. In the eyes of Mike Rice, that’s a good possibility, provided the Colonials take what they learned tonight and apply it to the rest of the season.

“With what we do and what we teach, our formula works,” Rice said. “When we get out of our own way, we can be successful.”

And if it’s any help to Robert Morris’ cause, they can count Jamie Dixon as a believer.

“It’s pretty clear to me, from watching film and the first half, why Robert Morris is leading their league. I do hope and I believe that they’ll be in the NCAA Tournament,” Dixon said. “Not to put any pressure on Mike, but he’s done such a good job there and it’s good to see.”

Yahoo! Box score:

	1 2 Total Robert Morris 33 20 53 Final (25) Pittsburgh 39 38 77