Long Island defeats Robert Morris 83-68
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michael Culpo scored 19 points and Long Island University defeated Robert Morris 83-67 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
The win avenged the Blackbirds' 70-69 loss to Robert Morris on Dec. 2. The Blackbirds streak of six straight Northeast Conference wins is their longest since winning 12 in a row in 1997-98.
Two second-half runs by the Blackbirds put the Colonials away. An 11-3 run gave the Blackbirds a 55-44 lead with 9:47 remaining. After their lead was cut to 55-48, the Blackbirds went on a 14-2 run to lead 69-50 with 5:51 to play after a 3-pointer by David Hicks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jamal Olaswere added 17 points, Julian Boyd had 12, and C.J. Garner and Hicks each had 11 for the Blackbirds (14-4, 6-1).
Velton Jones had 14 points, Russell Johnson added 11 and Anthony Myers had 10 for the Colonials (8-10, 4-3), whose three-game winning streak was snapped.