LORETTO -- Robert Morris recovered from a poor defensive performance, mounted a second-half comeback and dominated the glass in a 76-67 victory against Saint Francis, Pa., Thursday at the DeGol Arena.

It was Robert Morris' sixth consecutive win at Saint Francis, a school record against a conference opponent.

The Colonials (15-8, 10-1 Northeast) outrebounded the Red Flash (7-15, 5-6), 36-23, in the win.

Robert Morris coach Mike Rice said rebounding was a big emphasis in practice. Saint Francis entered the game as the second-worst rebounding team in the conference.

"Stats alone, they're not a great defensive rebounding team," Rice said.

The Colonials swarmed the backboard and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.

"If we didn't hit the glass, we pretty much would have lost the game," said freshman forward Russell Johnson, who led Robert Morris with 12 points.

Rice said the Colonials' athleticism helped dominate the boards, and it showed. All nine Robert Morris players who saw action had a rebound, and none had more than six.

The Red Flash had success attacking Robert Morris' defensive schemes, particularly in the first half, where they shot 56.7 percent from the field.

Red Flash forward Devin Sweetney, who finished with a game high 18 points, said Saint Francis tried to spread the floor on offense to prevent the Colonials from switching defenders in and out. For a while, it worked. Sweetney led Saint Francis through an explosive first half. He was one of three Red Flash players to finish the first half in double figures.

But Robert Morris adjusted in the second half -- Rice said the Colonials were more proactive defensively. Saint Francis shot 38.5 percent from the field in the second half.

Sweetney scored just five points in the second half. Robert Morris guard Mezie Nwigwe, assigned to guard Sweetney, said he got more help from his team in the second half.

Saint Francis led, 43-38, at halftime, giving the Colonials their largest halftime deficit of the season against a conference opponent.

The deficit would have been even larger had a couple of plays gone in favor of the Red Flash. With 17 seconds remaining, Sweetney turned the ball over on a fastbreak. And with time winding down, Nwigwe made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five.

The momentum from the end of the first half carried over to the start of the second, where the Colonials started on a 9-0 run.

Robert Morris held the Red Flash scoreless for the first 6:06 of the second half.

But it was another 9-0 run -- this time with 4:26 remaining -- that tipped the game in the Colonials' favor. Down 63-61, senior forward Rob Robinson scored four points, freshman guard Karon Abraham scored three and Johnson added two to give Robert Morris an insurmountable lead. The Colonials finished on a 15-4 run.

The Colonials and Red Flash will play the second game of their home-and-home series Saturday at Robert Morris.

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