Still looking for its first win, Robert Morris men’s basketball took the floor Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee facing the one-win Panthers.
The tides have still not turned.
Milwaukee (2-6, 1-1 Horizon) took care of business on their home floor to break a six-game losing streak and dropped Robert Morris (0-7, 0-2) on another tough finish for the Colonials.
Robert Morris did a good job setting the tone early after a low scoring first five minutes.
The Colonials jumped out to a 13-5 lead on a Rasheem Dunn three pointer with 12:45 remaining in the first half.
Milwaukee cut the deficit to 13-10 with 11:08 left thanks to a Tafari Simms three-point play.
Early on, Dunn and Matt Mayers carried RMU, each scoring five early points. The team made it 20-12 at the 9:09 mark, but Patrick Baldwin Jr. then came alive for the Panthers.
The five-star recruit was money from downtown, knocking down a perfect 5 for 5 in the first half to the delight of his father and head coach Pat Baldwin.
But RMU has a shining star as well. Kam Farris led the charge offensively for the Colonials after being inserted into the starting lineup.
Milwaukee grabbed a 28-26 lead and five minutes on the clock but the pendulum would swing back and forth the rest of the way.
The Colonials took a one-point, 37-36 advantage into halftime on the back of 14 points from Farris on 4-for-7 shooting.
Dunn also contributed nine points and five assists as RMU shot just under 47% from the field and 54% behind the arc.
The Panthers shot a tad better in both regards, but the teams were neck-and-neck in most statistical categories including rebounds, steals, and turnovers. Baldwin Jr. led all scorers with 19 points.
The game remained knotted in a tight score 43-42 Milwaukee at the under 16 timeout as a mini three-point competition broke out among the teams.
Dunn continued to play well for RMU, but Donovan Newby especially picked up his play in the second half for Milwaukee. The freshman guard contributed 14 points halfway through the second half and kickstarted the offense alongside Baldwin Jr.
Throughout the second half, both teams had opportunities to pull ahead and Milwaukee was able to do so to only a four-point advantage until around five and a half minutes remaining in the game.
Kam Farris left the game due to an eye injury suffered during the game, throwing another challenge at Andy Toole’s team the rest of the way.
The Panthers moved ahead 69-61 after two Baldwin Jr. free throws under five minutes left and started to kill clock.
Robert Morris started to bring full-court pressure on Milwaukee and forced the Panthers into a few turnovers.
Despite their best efforts and playing a physical game, Robert Morris lost another tough matchup after keeping Baldwin Jr. relatively in check.
Milwaukee ended a six-game losing streak in large part to Baldwin Jr. who returned from injury after missing the previous three games.
Baldwin Jr. finished with 26 points and 6/6 from three-point land and was the ultimate difference maker in the outcome. The Panthers outscored RMU 41-32 in the second half and finished the game shooting an impressive 56% from three.
Dunn’s 21 points and six assists led RMU but the Colonials could not find a way to pull off the upset.
The Colonials shot over 44% on the day and will return home next week still looking for their first win.
Robert Morris hosts Lancaster Bible in non-conference play Wednesday at 7 p.m.
