By Paul Meyer
www.rmucolonials.com
Feb. 2, 2010 

Meyer on Morris Link

Moon Township, Pa. - Sometime not that deep into the first half of Robert Morris University's game against St. Francis (N.Y.) last Saturday, Colonial senior Josiah Whitehead had a hunch.

He turned to benchmate Brad Piehl.

"B-Rad,'' Whitehead said, using his nickname for the freshman, "we're going to have to play a lot, so let's step it up. Let's play defense, and if we get a time to score, score.''

Whitehead's hunch became reality - and then some.

Shooting almost perfectly against the St. Francis (N.Y.) zone in a season-high 19 minutes, Whitehead made five of six field goal attempts and scored 10 points - most of them on mid-range jump shots.

Piehl, almost perfect himself in his 11 minutes, made two of three from the field and both his free-throw attempts and scored six points, helping the RMU bench to a 21-point performance in the Colonials' 74-56 victory that improved their Northeast Conference record to 9-1 and put them in first place ahead of Quinnipiac (8-2).

"Anytime you have a senior tell you, 'You have to step it up,' not only do you want to do it for yourself, but you want to do it for your team,'' Piehl said. "The main thing is getting a win, and any way you can help the team, that's what we have to do.''

"Not that the bench players have been letting the starters down,'' Whitehead said, "but we haven't been playing to our potential.''

It was just the game before, in the Colonials' 66-58 win over Long Island, that the bench contributed a season-low seven points.

With the help of a team-high seven rebounds from junior guard Gary Wallace against St. Francis (N.Y.), consider the bench back on the list of "Contributing Factors.''

"It was great to see them come in and be able to do what we know they can do,'' starting point guard Velton Jones said. "Brad (with his) rebounding, making shots and making plays. Joe making shots, rebounding and giving us energy. I think it was great for them.''

And probably a much-needed lift for both players.

Whitehead hadn't scored in double figures over a span of 46 games, dating to his 10-point contribution at Lafayette Dec. 17, 2008. And his 10 points against the Terriers matched his production in his previous five games combined this season.

Piehl had played in only three of the previous eight games. His six points Saturday matched his total production in the previous five games in which he'd played.

"Whenever you can contribute a couple points and a couple rebounds, I think everybody feels more a part of the team,'' Piehl said. "Whatever you can do, whether you're playing in practice or playing in the game, I think you're always going to have an impact on the team.''

"In practice, I shoot a lot and I make most of my shots and coach (Rice) always tells me to carry that over to the game,'' Whitehead said. "Sometimes I wish I had the touches (in a game that) I had in practice. Tonight I got loose and got my confidence, and when I had the open shot I just made it.''

Whitehead and Piehl took advantage of St. Francis (N.Y.) playing a lot of zone defense - especially after Terrier point guard Justin Newton went down with a left knee injury nine minutes into the first half and didn't return.

"People seem to be zoning us a lot more of late," head coach Mike Rice said, "and those two are tremendous skill players. They definitely made a difference. Joe has a knack of finding the open space (against a zone), and he's a tremendous shooter. It's the lack of consistent effort and energy in practice that drives me crazy about Joe, not his shooting. That's one thing he's worked tremendously hard on -- becoming a better consistent shooter. He got his minutes. He defended well. He gave that consistent energy and effort.

"And it's easier for Brad against a zone. He has a lot of skill. He understands the guy who sets the screens usually gets open. He did a lot of small things for us that are not in the stat sheet that allowed us to be successful. Brad came in and really stepped up for us.''

In the first game between these teams this season at St. Francis (N.Y.), Jan. 9, Piehl didn't play and Whitehead played only five minutes, scoring two points. However, freshman Lijah Thompson scored eight points off the bench that day - making all four of his field goal attempts - to help the Colonials to a 67-63 victory.
Thompson, in turn, did not play in Saturday's rematch.

"Lijah is a better man-to-man (defense) offensive player because he's so athletic,'' Rice said. "We're deep at that (inside) position.''

"It's probably the 'Robert Morris Curse' for us,'' Terrier coach Brian Nash said. "Somebody steps up at a big time. Whitehead's shots were crucial for them because I thought we were starting to get some stops and were taking away the perimeter a little bit. He hit big shots.''

Said Rice: "It's kind of the beauty of this team that you really don't know who's going to step up.''

While Rice was able to keep fresh players on the floor at all times, Nash wasn't. Newton's injury caused guards Ricky Cadell and Akeem Bennett to play the entire 40 minutes.

Colonial senior Mezie Nwigwe sensed that would be the case.

After Newton's injury, he instructed his teammates: "Those guys aren't coming out of the game. Continue to go at them. Continue to go at them.''

"And we did that,'' Rice said. "When those guys have to play so many minutes, it wears down shooters.

They started to rush because they (felt) pressure to score because if they don't score, (St. Francis is) in trouble.''

Cadell and Bennett entered the game averaging a combined 31.2 points per game, and they did finish with a combined 26 points. However, they also together were just 7-of-29 from the field, including 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.

"With Justin going out, we had to kind of do some things on the fly,'' Nash said. "We really only have one point guard. Akeem Bennett is not a point guard, but he's forced to play it. Ricky Cadell's more of a two-guard. He's not comfortable playing the point.''

In the game at St. Francis (N.Y.), Jan. 9, Cadell lit up Robert Morris for 29 points. The Colonials remembered. This time around, Cadell was 4-of-13 from the field and finished with 12 points.

"You take it personally,'' RMU freshman guard Karon Abraham said. "You're not supposed to be happy he scored on you. You're supposed to do whatever you can to lock him down and stop him from being a threat.''

Abraham led the Colonials with 23 points on the strength of a fine shooting performance. He was 6-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-7 from deep, and made all six of his free throw attempts.

Abraham has 283 points and has a decent chance of establishing a program record for points by a freshman in a season. Jeremy Chappell set the mark of 410 in 2005-06.

The Terriers are concerned about Newton's injury. They had been without junior forward Alexander Harrington and senior forward Nigel Byam for much of the season and now might not have Newton for a stretch. "This one doesn't look great right now,'' Nash said after Saturday's game.

2 FOR Q: Quinnipiac, which had won eight straight games and was in lockstep with the Colonials atop the NEC, had its winning streak end and its share of first place revoked in a 61-56 loss at Mount St. Mary's. The Bobcats (14-7, 8-2) did outrebound their 21st consecutive opponent but were done in by 32.8 shooting from the field. They also made just 1-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc.

Mountaineer junior guard Jean Cajou did a tremendous defensive job on James Feldeine, Quinnipiac's leading scorer on the season. Feldeine made just 1-of-14 field goal attempts and finished with four points.

Cajou also scored 11 points, while teammate Shawn Atupem had a season-high 16, including 12 in the second half.

The Mountaineers, picked by the league coaches in the preseason to win the NEC, have won two straight to move to 4-6 in the standings.

"We have been tested, and we kept the faith,'' Mountaineer coach Milan Brown said. "We're starting to turn the corner in trying to hopefully be a good basketball team.''

"Every game from here on out in important,'' Atupem told the Carroll County Times. "We're going to do this together - everybody from the coaches to teammates to managers.''

Quinnipiac forward Justin Rutty had 18 points and 15 rebounds.

With the NEC schedule having just moved past the halfway point, Quinnipiac holds a two-game edge over three teams tied for third place.

"I think anybody can beat anybody in this league this year,'' Nash said. "Quinnipiac and Robert Morris, to me, are the best two teams in the league, and I think everybody else is going to try to fight for position behind those guys.''

There are eight teams with records of 6-4, 5-5 or 4-6 with eight league games left for all teams.

LONG NIGHT FOR THE BLACKBIRDS: Long Island had a nine-point lead with 4:51 left in regulation but lost, 74-73, in overtime at Saint Francis (Pa.).

The Red Flash scored the final nine points of regulation, then won the game when junior Sorena Orandi made two free throws with four seconds left in the overtime.

"That's why kids play, for outcomes like we had here,'' Red Flash coach Don Friday said. "We just kept digging in. I think it was a step in our process here.''

Saint Francis (Pa.) hasn't played in the NEC tournament since 2005, but Friday, in his second season, has the Red Flash 5-5 in the league and seemingly headed for a tournament spot this season.

"We've garnered some experience, and we've garnered some confidence,'' Friday said.

Senior Devin Sweetney, who played in his 100th game for St. Francis, had 28 points and 10 rebounds. He was 12-of-12 from the free throw line. Jaytornah Wisseh led Long Island (6-4) with 25 points. He made 15 of 18 free throw attempts.

SHOTS MOST FOUL: Sacred Heart continued to struggle from the free throw line in its 74-73 last-seconds at Wagner. The Pioneers (5-5) made only four of 15 foul shots, dropping them to 56.1 percent and last in the NEC. Last season, Sacred Heart was second in the league in free throw shooting with a 72.1 mark.

The Seahawks won the game on guard Chris Martin's runner in the lane with seconds remaining. Martin finished with 28 points as Wagner won for just the second time in 10 league games.

"We're about to go on a roll,'' Martin said. "We're going to win a few games down the stretch and get that last playoff spot.''

Corey Hassan set a school record with 10 3-pointers for Sacred Heart en route to a 36-point afternoon. Hassan scored 23 points in the first 11 and-a-half minutes. He was 10-of-12 from deep.

Both teams were hot from beyond the arc. Sacred Heart was 15-of-23; Wagner was 11-of-22.

The Pioneers played a fourth consecutive game without senior guard Chauncey Hardy, whose suspension apparently is of the indefinite variety. Hardy averages 13.1 points per game and shoots 44.9 percent from three-point range.

WHERE THERE'S A WILL: Sophomore guard Will Campbell scored 15 points to lead Monmouth (6-4) to a 50-46 win at Bryant, which remains winless at 0-22.

"I think that was the most pressurized game I've ever been in, to tell you the truth,'' Campbell told the Asbury Park Press. "The pressure was knowing that we had to win, because we knew that they hadn't won a game yet. And we knew it would help us a lot in the league by getting a win.''

The Hawks, who were just 5-of-19 from deep, played their fourth game without sophomore forward Travis Taylor, who's serving a seven-game suspension for violating team rules.

Bryant led for much of this game, thanks to 15 points from Chris Birrell, who was 5-of-12 from beyond the arc.

"We're obviously disappointed because we had a chance,'' Bulldog coach Tim O'Shea said. "But we didn't make the plays we needed to down the stretch. That includes making free throws and giving up some key turnovers.''

Bryant was just 8-of-17 from the free throw line.

CCSU COMING ON: Central Connecticut State, which has made the NEC tournament in each of the past 11 seasons, is back in the hunt after winning its second straight - a 77-67 decision against visiting Fairleigh Dickinson.

The Blue Devils led 38-19 with four minutes left in the first half, but FDU steadily chipped away at that lead and took a 56-55 lead of its own with seven minutes remaining in the second half.

However, Shemik Thompson took control for CCSU, leading a 10-0 run that gave the Blue Devils control again. Thompson, who finished with 24 points, had eight points and an assist during the decisive spurt.

"It was gut-check time, and we had to respond,'' Thompson told the New Britain Herald. "We had to get some stops. It just came down to a will to win.''

"Shemik Thompson just took over,'' CCSU coach Howie Dickenman said.

Sean Baptiste led FDU with 21 points.

NEC NUGGETS: Robert Morris has three of the top free throw shooters in NEC games. Abraham has an 84.4 percentage, just ahead of Nwigwe (82.6). Wallace is at 75.0 percent … Mount St. Mary's made only 13-of-25 free throw attempts in its win over Quinnipiac … Over its past five games, Sacred Heart is below 50 percent at the free throw line (28-of-57) … CCSU didn't help itself against FDU by missing 12-of -28 free throw attempts … Bryant led Monmouth, 27-21, at halftime and still had a lead (39-38) with 5:58 remaining.