Andy Toole’s goal for this season is to win a spot in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and last tonight his team took the first step towards doing that.
With their 83-60 win over Bryant, Robert Morris (15-13, 9-6 NEC) qualified for the NEC postseason tournament. This is the 15th consecutive year that RMU has earned a spot in the postseason tournament, the longest active streak in the league.
For the second consecutive game, the Colonials offense was in full gear. Last night, they were paced by sophomore guard Dachon Burke’s game-high 27 points. Burke was 11 of 14 from the field (4 of 5 from 3-point range), collected 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
“Dachon is making some good choices on what shots to take and what shots not to take,” said Toole. “If he can start making defenses wonder what’s going to happen when he gets into the lane, it’s going to make him that much harder to guard. He’s also staring to play with some pose.”
Freshman Koby Thomas also scored 15 points and collected a game-high 8 rebounds while Matty McConnell chipped in with 13 points and freshman guard Jon Williams added 11 points.
“I think our guys did a great job defensively from about the 11-minute mark of the first half all the way through the rest of the game. We were able to turn the tide a little bit. We slowed them offensively, were able to take the lead and then continue that in the second half. That was really key for us getting the victory tonight,” said Toole.
Robert Morris plays their final home game of the season this Saturday vs. Central Connecticut, with a 7 PM tip at the AJ Palumbo Center.
