Men's College Basketball
Robert Morris University 83, Rider University 57
MOON TOWNSHIP, PA-- On Veteran's Day, it was Rider's youth that did the Broncs in.
With six first-year Broncs and two sophomores among the 10 players in Rider uniforms Friday night, Rider dropped the season opener, despite a career-high 20 points by sophomore Anthony Myles (Dover, DE/Poly-Tech).
"It was a long night," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "I was a little worried coming in but this was worse than I expected. We have a lot of guys in different roles and a lot of guys coming into the program."
Holding a 40-30 lead, Robert Morris (1-0) went on a 14-2 run, eight points by Coron Williams, to take a 54-32 lead with 13 minutes left. Williams finished with a career-high 28 points
Rider (0-1) trailed 40-20 at intermission but began the second half with a 10-0 run, five points by Myles. "We tried to make a run at them to start the second half," Dempsey said, "and then they responded and from then on we were never able to get back into the game."
Trailing 9-8, Robert Morris out-scored Rider 32-7, 10 points by Williams, to take a 40-16 lead, and the Colonials led 40-20 at the half.
Rider committed 25 turnovers, including 16 in the first half. "They (RMU) just got into us," Dempsey said. "We're struggling to find ourselves and initiate offense. We never were able to get into a flow on offense and on defense we struggled to stay in front of the ball. But also give Robert Morris some credit. They shot the ball well (11 for 16 three-pointers) and played very good."
Rider shot just 26 percent in the first half (5-19) and finished at 35.6 percent (16-45) for the game.
The Broncs were also beaten on the glass, as RMU out-rebounded the Broncs 43-35. "We struggled in every aspect of the game," Dempsey said.
Rider senior Brandon Penn (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson) grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. Playing in his first Rider game, senior Jeff Jones (Chester, PA/Monsignor Bonner) compiled 14 points, making six of seven foul shots.
It was the first-ever loss for Rider in the Sewall Center, as Rider is now 5-1 all-time at RMU.
The Colonials are picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference this year behind defending champion Long Island. Robert Morris returns four starters and six letterwinners from a 2010-11 team that finished with an overall record of 18-14 (.563), including a mark of 11-2 at home.
The Colonials finished third in the NEC standings a year ago but advanced to their third straight NEC Tournament championship game, falling at Long Island in overtime, 85-82. Robert Morris won the NEC the previous two seasons, and lost to Villanova by just three points in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
When Rider was a member of the NEC the Broncs won eight of the 10 meetings with Robert Morris and have not played the Colonials since joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
"This is a starting point," Dempsey said. "It is not a good place to be, but it is a long, long journey and we have a long way to go."
The Broncs play at the University of Pittsburgh Sunday at 6pm on ESPN3.
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