Robert Morris could not find a way to capitalize on a great first half, falling 80-61 in its regular season finale against Detroit Mercy on Saturday. The Colonials (4-14, 3-12 Horizon League) dealt with another second half setback, a common theme during their season. A red hot offense suddenly shut down and shot just 31% from the floor and 15.4% from 3-point range in the contest’s final stanza.
Charles Bain led RMU with 18 points and seven rebounds. Kahliel Spear added 10 points and four rebounds of his own, but simultaneously cooled off with the rest of the offense in the second half.Detroit Mercy (11-9, 10-6 Horizon League) capitalized on RMU’s stagnant offense and made 57% of its shots in the second half. The Titans also made all nine of their free throw attempts and made 7 of 15 three-pointers during the final 20 minutes.
Antoine Davis scored 29 points to lead Detroit Mercy, and was closely followed by Noah Waterman, who scored 22.
Waterman led an offensive charge in the second half that immediately knocked the Colonials on their heels. A made 3-pointer was made even more impactful due to a foul call that gave Detroit Mercy a four-point play to start the half. From that point on, the Titans went from playing from behind to holding a double-digit lead.
Before that run, however, it finally looked like Robert Morris was going to prevent a big run from its opponent.
RMU led by as many as 11 points in what was arguably the team’s most complete opening half performance in Horizon League play. The strong half began when Kahliel Spear slammed down a beautiful feed on an alley-oop attempt in the game’s opening minute.
Spear and Charles Bain, who made four of his first seven shots, combined to score Colonials’ first 11 points. Noah Waterman helped keep the Titans in it with five early points for Detroit Mercy to keep things within one possession early on.
After not leading in the first half in Friday’s contest, RMU weathered the storm and rode the hot hand of Bain, who made a 3-pointer to give the Colonials a 16-12 lead. The 3-point shooting for the Colonials was aided by constant movement on offense that led to some great looks and a 60% shooting mark from deep in the first half.
Antoine Davis looked to replicate his 26-point effort from the first game of the series by utilizing his own 3-ball, scoring six points during a quick 8-0 run for the Titans that slashed RMU’s lead to three.
Dante Treacy slowed the pace of the game a few possessions later and milked the shot and game clock in the waning seconds of the first half before pulling up and sinking a 3-pointer that extended RMU’s lead to seven, 39-32, to end the half.
RMU shot 62.5% from the floor and moved with a consistent fluidity on defense that, despite allowing Detroit Mercy to shoot nearly 50% from the field, kept Davis in check, minus the lone scoring run.
Then the aforementioned downward spiral in the second half began. There was a brief moment where it appeared as if Bain was going to keep the Colonials in it, but his five point run was quickly washed away by another series of makes by the Titans.
RMU has one more chance to string together a hot streak as the Horizon League Tournament begins next week.
