For 10 minutes, Robert Morris looked like a team that could compete against a Top 25 team.

And it wasn't veteran leadership that put them in that position.

The Colonials owe their early game competitiveness to a group of players in their first game at the Petersen Events Center.

The Pitt Panthers eventually put away their smaller and less-talented Northeast Conference opponent, beating the Colonials, 77-53, Monday night. But Robert Morris coach Mike Rice hopes that as his young players mature, they can put together a more complete game against a program such as Pitt.

Three Colonials freshmen combined to score 29 of Robert Morris' 33 first-half points. Guards Karon Abraham and Velton Jones and forward Russell Johnson helped the Colonials hold a lead against Pitt for all of nine minutes and 39 seconds of the first half.

"Our young guys were able to attack and move the defense," Rice said.

Two senior starters had early foul problems. Guard Mezie Nwigwe and forward Dallas Green picked up three fouls each in the first half, forcing the Colonials to rely on their young players.

"We have some pretty talented freshmen," Rice said. "They can handle themselves against some pretty good competition."

Abraham had the hot start, making a layup on Robert Morris' first possession and scoring eight of the Colonials' first 11 points. He finished the first half 5 of 9 from the field and shot 50 percent behind the 3-point line against a team that leads the Big East in 3-point percentage defense.

Abraham led Robert Morris with 16 points, and Johnson, coming off the bench, was second with 11. Jones (10) was tied for third.

Rice had seen a similar performance from his freshmen in Robert Morris' only other game against a Big East team this season. Jones (15) and Abraham (13) led the Colonials in scoring in a 100-60 season-opening loss at Syracuse.

"They put on the jersey just like we do," Abraham said of Big East opponents.

But it's not just games against top-tier teams where Robert Morris' freshmen excel. Including Monday night's game, a freshman has led Robert Morris in scoring in 16 of Robert Morris' 25 games.

But relying on young players has its consequences, and as Robert Morris' freshmen struggled at the start of the second half, so too did the Colonials. The three freshmen who led the team in the first half made early second-half mistakes -- Abraham missed a jump shot, Jones missed a shot and turned over the ball and Johnson committed a turnover on Robert Morris' first possession after halftime.

Pitt went on an 8-0 run before Nwigwe -- a senior -- made a layup nearly three minutes into the half.

The trio who sparked Robert Morris in the first half scored eight points in the second and shot 30 percent from the field. Jones said he learned last night that those inconsistencies will hurt the Colonials against better teams.

"Against an NEC team," he said, "we get away with it sometimes."

It took Robert Morris more than 11 minutes to score 10 points in the second half -- a stretch where Pitt led by as many as 23.

"They have a bright future," Rice said of his freshmen. "But they have to learn."

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.