Moon Township, Pa. - Three Colonials scored in double figures and eight different players had at least five points as the Robert Morris University men's basketball team opened its 2009-10 campaign with a 78-47 victory over Division II Shippensburg in an exhibition game Thursday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

RMU jumped out to a 13-2 lead and never trailed in the contest, cruising to a 45-14 halftime lead by shooting 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field and forcing 15 turnovers by the Raiders before the break.

A pair of Colonials making their collegiate debut supplied the early fire power for Robert Morris, as sophomore Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) scored the first five points of the game, while sophomore forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) drained a three-pointer.

Senior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) added a layup and senior guard Mezie Nwgiwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) connected on a three-pointer during RMU's opening salvo. RMU quickly stretched its lead to 20-4 and took a 31-point lead into halftime after freshman guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, Va. / Christchurch School) converted a fastbreak layup with four seconds left before the break. 

Freshman guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) came off the bench to score 12 points to lead Robert Morris in the first half, hitting five of his seven shots from the floor while adding two rebounds, an assist and two steals.

The Colonials took their biggest lead of the game with 6:15 remaining when senior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) converted a jumper to give Robert Morris a 67-29 lead.

Abraham tied for team-high honors in scoring with 12 points with Jones, while Green finished with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three rebounds, two assists and five steals. Robinson finished with eight points, Nwigwe seven and Williams six.

Shippensburg was led by Daziah Miller, who scored a game-high 14 points, while Tarik Belcher finished with 11 points. 

Robert Morris outscored the Raiders, 30-20, in the paint and also held a 32-10 edge in points off turnovers and a 37-7 advantage in points off the bench. As a team, RMU shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) from the field while converting 50 percent (8-for-16) of its attempts from long range. Seven different Colonials hit a three-pointer in the win.

Robert Morris opens its 2009-10 regular season Wednesday, Nov. 11, when it travels to Syracuse, N.Y., to take part in the 2K Sports Classic, benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The Colonials will face Syracuse in a 7:00 p.m. tip that will be broadcast live on ESPNU.