PITTSBURGH — In a game that featured 36 turnovers,
51 fouls, 67 free-throw attempts and one power outage, the Robert Morris men dealt St. Francis a loss for the second time in three days, 75-63, in a bizarre Northeast Conference game on Saturday.
Senior Devin Sweetney reached three career milestones and led the Red Flash with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds. He became just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,400 points and 700 rebounds.
Sweetney also moved into fourth on the school’s all-time free-throws-made list by going 11-for-12.
Junior Sorena Orandi added 11 points and two assists for the Red Flash (7-16, 5-7 in NEC).
St. Francis made a season-best 29 of 33 free throws but shot just 32 percent from the floor.
Karon Abraham had a team-high 14 points for the Colonials, who won their ninth straight to improve to 16-8 overall, and
11-1 in the NEC.
With a major snowstorm hitting Pennsylvania, there were worries that Saturday’s game might not be played. The Red Flash had their Friday practice session cut short by a power outage at the Sewall Center. Power was restored early Saturday, but it again went out with 11:39 remaining in the first half.
A nearly 20-minute delay highlighted a first half that featured two ties and eight lead changes.
The Colonials shot 63.6 percent in the first 20 minutes, and took a 43-32 lead into the break.
The Red Flash shot 34.6 percent in the first stanza.
Robert Morris opened the second half on a 17-7 run to break the game open and take a 60-39 lead with 14:02 remaining. The Red Flash didn’t get any closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Freshman Will Felder added seven points, six rebounds and two steals for St. Francis.
