Colonials dominate CCSU on the road.

Robert Morris got another much needed win at Central Connecticut 59-45, using a 24-2 run spanning from the end of the first half until about the 14 minute mark in the second. CCSU led the Colonials 18-14, but it was all Colonials the rest of the way.

Rodney Pryor, Aaron Tate, Andre Frederick, and Jordan Lester all missed the game due to injury, and to make matters worse Elijah Minnie was suspended for the first half. Minnie used it as motivation it seemed.

He came out aggressive and was in full on attack mode. The sophomore started the second half 4-4, and finished the game with 15 points on 7-9 shooting, including a fast break ally-oop from Kavon Stewart that seemed like the final nail in the coffin. He also added nine rebounds and a block. Pretty impressive for one half.

While CCSU is a bad team (1-17, 0-7 in the NEC) the Colonials defense and perseverance were impressive. At one point in the first half, RMU had two walk-on's in the game. Andy Toole noticed the energy, and appreciated the effort. "Our guys did an excellent job defending the whole game. That really got us going. Elijah gave us an offensive lift, too," Toole said.

Stewart and Minnie propelled RMU to
a W Thursday night. 

Meanwhile, Stewart has really come into his own. The junior was in complete control all game long, and helped ease the loss of so many key pieces. "Kavon's communication is great. At the free-throw line he's talking. He's becoming a leader, and it's great to see," Toole said postgame. K finished with 15 points, four assists.

This game marked the start of a key four game road trip. The Colonials will head to Bryant on Saturday before a trip to Mount and St. Francis PA.

Interestingly enough, RMU has now played two of their best games this season without star guard Rodney Pryor. The senior has missed the last three games with a concussion (he'll be game time decision on Saturday) and RMU is 2-1 without him. Others have been forced to step up in his absence. Minnie and Stewart have stepped up big time, and the Colonials are getting contributions from everyone. It has also led to more attention of the defensive end with the team's top offensive weapon out.  If they can mix Pryor into this mix, Toole might have found what he's looking for.

With all that said, CCSU is really bad and it's hard to come to any concrete conclusions after this game. Saturday's game at Bryant will be telling.

--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5