PEORIA, Ill. - Bradley started strong by scoring 13 of the game's first 16 points and building a 27-12 lead through the first 14:12, but Robert Morris closed the first half on a 18-1 run and carried the momentum to a 68-61 men's basketball victory Wednesday night at Carver Arena.

Bradley struggled inside, making just 10-of-31 (.323) 2-point field goal attempts while suffering from a 41-32 rebounding deficit. And while Bradley made one more field goal attempt overall and the same number of 3-pointers as Robert Morris, the visiting Colonials outscored their hosts 23-14 at the free throw line. Bradley made just 14-of-27 (.519) charity attempts Wednesday night.

A pair of reserve guards led their respective teams in scoring. Junior guard Rodney Pryor scored a game-high 26 points for Robert Morris, while fellow junior guard Warren Jones led the Braves with 24 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. Ka'Darryl Bell was Bradley's only other double-digit scorer with 12 points, while Robert Morris guard Lucky Jones completed the game's double-digit scoring with 17 points.

Facing its largest deficit of the game, 54-43, after a Marcquise Reed bucket with 6:32 remaining, Bradley sliced its deficit to one, 56-55, on an Omari Grier 3-pointer with 3:25 left. Bradley had two opportunities to reclaim the lead, but after getting a stop on the ensuing possession, Jones missed a 3-point try and after pulling within 59-57 on two Jones free throws with 2:31 remaining, Jones missed another 3-point try with 1:30 left.

Pryor drained a corner 3-pointer with 56 seconds remaining to build a two-possession lead, 62-57, and the Braves were unable to pull closer than five points the rest of the way.

Bradley, which played without two of its top players for the second straight game, could get both back heading into the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic, which begins with a Sunday home game against North Carolina A&T at Carver Arena. Senior forward Auston Barnes has completed his suspension, while junior point guard Tramique Sutherland is scheduled to have his fractured left ring finger re-evaluated Thursday.

In addition to hosting the Aggies at 4 p.m. Sunday, Bradley will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tuesday at 7 p.m. before heading to Corpus Christi for the exempt tournament's final two rounds Nov. 28-29.