Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team (3-6) erased an 18-point second-half deficit down to two but could not get over the hump as Robert Morris (6-4) escaped with a 74-71 win over the Penguins on Monday evening at the Beeghly Center.

     Senior Byron Davis led five Penguins scoring in double figures with a career-best 20 point while freshman Vytus Sulskis posted a career-high 13 points. Junior Jack Liles scored 12 points and freshman Vance Cooksey and senior Dwight Holmes each added 11 points.

    The Penguins trailed by as many as 18 points, 66-48, midway through the second half but used an 18-3 run over the next five minutes to get within three, 69-66.

    Holmes' jumper at the 7:32 mark got the Guins, who shot 50 percent in the second half, within 10, 69-59.

    A lay up by Cooksey and a three-point play by Davis sliced the deficit to three, 69-66, with 5:13 remaining.

    The Colonials, who managed just two field goals over the last 10 minutes, converted two free throws to extend their lead back to four but Davis answered with a jumper with 2:30 remaining.

    Cooksey made two charity tosses after a bucket by RMU made it 72-70 at the two minute mark.

    YSU missed three of it last four free throw attempts and RMU's A.J. Jackson sealed the victory with a free throw with second seconds remaining.

    Robert Morris shot an impressive 58.3 percent (14-for-24) in the first half, including six 3-pointers, compared to 36.4 (12-of-33) percent for the Penguins. YSU, however, took nine more field goal attempts to trail by just seven, 38-31, at the break.

    The Colonials jumped out early on the Penguins making eight of their first 10 shots, including two 3-pointers, for an 18-10 advantage at the first media timeout at 14:56.

    Byron Davis' lay up and a free throw by John Barber brought the Guins within five, 18-13, but 3-pointers by Jimmy Langhurst and Bateko Francisco and another by Langhurst  ballooned the Colonials lead to 14, 27-13, midway through the first half.

    Sulski drained a 3-pointer to capped a quick 6-0 YSU run to cut the deficit back to eight points, 27-19, but Langhurst hit his third 3-pointer of the half to regain an 11-point RMU edge, 30-19, at the 8:19 mark.

    A dunk by Davis brought the Guins back within nine, 30-21, but Sulskis was flagged with a technical foul and Langhurst two charity tosses put RMU back ahead 11, 32-21, with 6:32 remaining.

    The Penguins scored 10 of the next 16 points over the next six minutes, including a lay up by Liles and jumpers by Davis and Holmes, to slice the Colonials lead down to seven, 38-31, at the intermission.

    YSU is back on the road on Friday when it visits Akron at 8 p.m. The contest is a doubleheader as the Penguin women take on the Zips prior to the men’s game.