MOON TOWNSHIP — The Robert Morris Colonials won in their first match of the Urban-Bennett Invitational 63-51 over the Stonehill Skyhawks, due in no small part to a historic defensive performance by junior forward Amarion Dickerson.

Dickerson, who spent his first two years in JUCO at Mineral Area Junior College, set a school record with seven blocks in his third game as a Colonial. His defensive effort was vital to the success of the Colonials tonight.

This win for the Colonials comes without their leading scorer Kam Woods, who injured his ankle in the win against Chatham on Sunday. Junior guard DJ Smith started in his place and put up a respectable 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists with a team-high 2 steals.

The story early in the game was the struggles of the Colonials to make a shot. At the end of the first half, RMU was shooting an ice-cold 29% from the field and starting off 1 for 5 from the free throw line. However, their defense kept the Skyhawks in check. Despite the Colonials struggles, they never trailed in this game.

The Colonials attempted more than double the Skyhawks’ free throw attempts (RMU’s 39 to Stonehill 16). These extra attempts at the charity stripe made up for RMU’s lack of shooting.

RMU also dominated the glass, out rebounding Stonehill 45 to 28, aided by the 13 boards brought down by forward Alvaro Folguieras, allowing for several extra possessions in this close of a game.

“We talk about going possession by possession”, stated Colonials head coach Andy Toole in a post game interview when asked about the team’s mentality. “Some things might not go our way, but we’ve got to move on to the next play”.

This wasn’t the prettiest of wins for RMU. It was hard-fought, scrappy, and dependent on fundamentals, but it was a win nonetheless.

The RMU Colonials continue their play in the Urban-Bennett Invitational on Friday against Lindenwood, and their final game on Sunday against New Orleans at the UPMC Event Center.