In the first few days of the new year, some college teams suffer through a slow start due to time off.

For Robert Morris, though, potential sluggishness and erratic play was replaced with spirited effort and resiliency last night.

And as always the case with the Colonials under the leadership of coach Mike Rice, the new year started off with a bang.

Karon Abraham scored 23 points and Rob Robinson added 21 to lead the Colonials to a 81-79 win against Mid-American Conference foe Ohio (8-5) at the Sewall Center.

It was the second consecutive win for the Colonials (6-7), who improved to 18-1 in January in Rice's three seasons.

"We're finding ways to win and I don't think we did that the first month and a half of the season," Rice said. "We're finding ways to be successful."

On several occasions, though, it appeared as if Robert Morris was going to let a solid win against an equally-solid mid-major opponent slip away.

The Colonials blew a 16-point first-half lead and were unable to cool a scorching-hot shooting exhibition by Ohio guard Jay Kinney, who hit six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points.

But down the stretch, the Colonials surged instead of wilting, earning their first victory against a team with a winning record.

With the score tied, Abraham's 3-pointer from the right wing put the Colonials ahead for good, 77-74, with 2:09 remaining.

Ohio had possession in the closing seconds, trailing, 79-77, but as the Bobcats' D.J. Cooper knifed into the paint, he was whistled for an offensive foul, as the official claimed he pushed off.

"I thought it was a very controversial call as far as the time of the game, but that's basketball," Rice said. "We've gone through tough situations and tough calls. It's part of the game."

Abraham hit two free throws to put the Colonials back ahead by four, before Cooper provided the game's final points on a layup with one second left.

"It was one of those games where we needed a win," said Abraham, a freshman guard from Paterson, N.J., who led the Colonials in scoring for the fourth consecutive game.

"We had yet to beat a team with a winning record, so that's what we wanted to do tonight. And we came out and did it."

Robinson's showing played a big part of it, too. Two games after serving a team-imposed one-game suspension for what Rice had deemed "conduct detrimental to the team," Robinson responded with a season-high in points on 9-of-15 shooting, and his six rebounds contributed to the Colonials' 41-28 edge against the Bobcats.

"It's been a tough stretch for me, but I feel like it's falling into place now," Robinson said.

The Bobcats took a 56-50 lead with 12:33 left in the game, but a 14-2 Colonials run put them ahead by six with eight minutes remaining.

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