Emmitsburg, Md. (December 18, 2022)--Mount St. Mary's rallied from a second-half double-digit deficit to take the lead, but came up short in a 68-59 loss to Robert Morris at Knott Arena on Sunday afternoon.  Malik Jefferson led the Mount with 15 points and seven rebounds while Dakota Leffew and Xavier Lipscomb each scored 12 in the loss.  The Mount falls to 5-7 on the season.

The first half was a nip-and-tuck affair that featured 11 lead changes and six ties.  The Colonials (5-7) pulled out to a 22-16 lead on a Josh Corbin three-pointer, but the Mountaineers answered with eight unanswered points to take the lead. Jefferson and Frantisek Barton converted back-to-back buckets in the paint to start the run.  George Tinsley then scored consecutive baskets to put the Mount on top, 24-22. From there, the biggest deficit for either team the rest of the half was two points.  Lipscomb scored on a drive with 24 seconds left in the half for a 32-31 lead, and Robert Morris tied the score at the half, 32-32, when Enoch Cheeks hit 1-of-2 at the line.

The Colonials started the second half strong, building a 48-38 advantage with 13:49 remaining.  The Mountaineers were able to respond with an 11-0 run to regain the lead.  Lipscomb scored on a lay-up and Jefferson hit 1-of-2 at the line to start the run.  Lipscomb added a three-pointer and Jefferson connected on a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 48-46.  Lipscomb then put the Mount on top with a triple for a 49-48 advantage with 9:38 remaining.  With the score tied at 51-51, Corbin connected on his sixth three-pointer of the game to put the Colonials ahead by three, but Jefferson connected on a jumper in the paint and Leffew scored to put the Mount back ahead, 55-54. 

After a 5-0 RMU run, Tinsley scored on a drive to cut the deficit to 59-57 with 4:01 on the clock.  The Mount had a chance to tie, but a Leffew drive was off the mark, and Cheeks drained a three on the other end for a 62-57 Robert Morris lead.  From there, the Colonials were able to make enough plays to come away with the win.

Jefferson hit 6-of-11 from the field en route to his team-high 15 points while pulling down a team-best seven boards.  Leffew added 12 points and three assists with Lipscomb connecting for 12 points, two assists and two boards.  Jaylin Gibson provided strong defense off the bench with a career-best five steals in the game.  Tinsley finished with eight points and six rebounds for the Mountaineers.  Corbin led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 6-of-10 from three-point range.  Cheeks had a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards in the win with Kahliel scoring 11 points while adding four blocks for Robert Morris.

Robert Morris shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field and was 9-of-17 (.529) from beyond the arc in the game.  The Mount was held to 24-of-61 (.393) from the field and 4-of-18 (.222) from three-point range.  Robert Morris held a 40-32 edge on the boards and had seven blocks in the game.

The Mount returns to the court on Wednesday with a 2:00 p.m. road game at Howard.