The Robert Morris Colonials always seem to find themselves near the top of the Northeast Conference standings year after year, and this season is no different. Once again, they look like a top contender in the conference.

The Colonials welcomed Sacred Heart to town on Sunday afternoon, looking to bounce back after a loss to St. Francis (NY) in their last time out. The Pioneers were coming off a loss of their own, a heart-breaking road loss to St. Francis (PA). The Pioneers were riding a three-game losing streak entering Sunday night’s game against Robert Morris, and things would get worse for the Sacred Heart Pioneers.

The Colonials would take a big lead after the first 20 minutes, and then would cruise in the second half to an 85 – 65 win over the Pioneers on Sunday afternoon.

Through the first ten minutes of the game, neither team could gain any separation from one another. The Pioneers would stretch their lead to 4 points, thanks to a Steve Glowiak three-pointer at the 15:00 mark. From there, Robert Morris would go on a run to stretch the lead in their favour.

The Colonials would go on an 11 – 1 run over the next five-plus minutes to give themselves a 22 – 15 lead over the Pioneers, Marcquise Reed capped off the run with a three-pointer of his own.

Another three-pointer, this time from Lucky Jones, extended the Colonials’ lead to double-digits. In the last few minutes of the half, the Pioneers wouldn’t get any closer than 8 points. Jones made another three-pointer for the Colonials to give them a 15-point lead.

Phil Gaetano made a long ball of his own to give the Pioneers a bit of momentum going into the break. At the half, the Colonials held a comfortable 47 – 35 lead over the Pioneers.

In the opening ten minutes of the second half, Robert Morris was in full control of the game. They maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half.

A lay-up and a costless throw from Cane Broome brought the Pioneers to within 7 with 9:46 left to play in the game. Sacred Heart would get as close as 6 points, thanks to a costless throw from De’Von Barnett, but that’s as close as they would get in this one.

Robert Morris was led by Aaron Tate and Marcquise Reed down the stretch, and the Colonials pulled away from the Pioneers. Robert Morris stretched the lead to as many as 22 points, and would roll to an easy win over Sacred Heart.

Robert Morris cruised to their 4th conference win of the season, an 85 – 65 victory over the Pioneers.

Not all was bad for the Pioneers on Sunday afternoon, as the team had some strong individual performances in the game. De’von Barnett led the way for the Pioneers, scoring a team-high 21 points. The Colonials shut down Cane Broome on Sunday, holding him to just 9 points in the loss.

For Robert Morris, a balanced scoring attack led the way in the victory, as four players scored in double-figures in the win. Marcquise Reed led all scorers in the game, scoring 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor.

Lucky Jones put in a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds to help lead the Colonials to victory, while Rodney Jones added 15 points and Aaron Tate added 10 points, respectively.

The Sacred Heart Pioneers (7 – 12, 1 – 5) are looking for answers after their fourth straight loss in NEC play. They take to the floor on Thursday, as they welcome the Fairleigh Dickinson to town.

The Robert Morris Colonials (8 – 10, 4 – 2) currently find themselves half a game back in the NEC standings, trailing St. Francis (NY) and Bryant. Up next for the Colonials is another team sitting at 4 – 2 in the conference. Robert Morris travels to Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday in a battle of last year’s regular season NEC champions and the NEC Tournament champions.