Robert Morris Runs Away From Green Bay in Second Half to Secure 21st Win of Season

MOON TWP, Pa. — Robert Morris (21-8, 13-5 HL) came into the night just half of a game behind Cleveland St. for first place in the Horizon League and needed to take care of business against a struggling Green Bay (3-25, 1-16 HL) team.

The game went eerily similar to the first time these two teams met up this season as the Phoenix stuck with the Colonials throughout the first half but were dominated in the second half as Robert Morris used a 15-2 run in the second half to take down the Phoenix by a score of 94-85.

“I think our defensive energy picked up there,” Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole said after the game. “We were able to turn them over a little bit and create some misses. That is really how we were able to build the lead. We were able to score consistently throughout the game, we just weren’t able to get stops for long enough stretches.”

The Colonials opened the scoring up with an and-one from Alvaro Folgueiras and quickly found themselves up by the first media stoppage behind two consecutive buckets from Josh Omojafo.

The Phoenix did not go away easy though as they eventually took their first lead of the game at 14-13 on a pair of free throws from C.J. O’Hara. The two teams would then trade buckets and the lead over the next few possessions before Ryan Prather Jr. hauled in an offensive rebound and found Kam Woods for a wide open three which gave the Colonials a 22-21 lead.

The Colonials stayed ahead for the rest of the first half and closed the period out with a steal and a slam dunk from Folgueiras which gave Robert Morris a 42-37 halftime advantage. While the Colonials led at the intermission, they allowed the Phoenix to shoot 54% in the first half which kept them in the game.

“Our defensive intensity and urgency was not where it needed to be,” Toole said. “Obviously we are happy to be able to get the win but hopefully we can learn a lot from this because we have got to certainly perform better on the defensive side.”

“We want to play better defense,” Woods added about the team’s defensive effort. “We are not trying to give up 85 points. I think we gave up 40-something in the second half and that was not our game goal. That’s something we can’t have.”

The Phoenix tried to knot things up early in the second half but Woods matched them shot-for-shot to open the period before the Colonials went on a 7-0 run which turned into a 15-2 run. The run gave the Colonials an 18-point lead, the biggest lead for either team in the game.

Woods finished the game tied for the team lead in points with 22 but added 10 rebounds and nine assists to complete the all-around effort. Woods nearly notched a triple-double and laughed about it afterwards as he said he has been giving Omojafo an earful for missing a shot which would have given him his tenth assist.

Following the run, the game turned into a free throw battle as both teams entered the bonus early in the half. This did not play into the Phoenix’s favor as they were down double-digits. By the under-eight media timeout, the Colonials still owned a 13-point lead and just kept grinding the clock away before eventually closing out the nine-point victory.

The Colonials received solid contributions from multiple players as four different players finished with 12 points or more as Woods and Dickerson both scored 22 points. Folgueiras scored 18 points and Omojafo finished with 12.

Green Bay was led by Marcus Hall who scored a game-high 29 points in the loss to the Colonials. Hall shot an efficient 10-of-14 from the field including 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Jeremiah Johnson added 17 points while O’Hara scored 12.

While the play of each individual on the roster has improved over the course of the season, the team’s togetherness has also grew which has led to the success of the team.

The Colonials often find themselves celebrating as an entire team, which is not the case for all college teams. The unity displayed on a nightly basis is a huge reason that the Colonials find themselves in the position that they are in.

“Just being happy with each other, like a lot of teams in country are not happy with each other,” Woods said as he credited the team’s unity to their overall success. “We have a different leading scorer each night, we know we are a capable team. Some nights just might not be you night so just cheer for the other person.”

Robert Morris plays its last regular season game at UPMC Events Center on Sunday afternoon as the Colonials host Milwaukee in an important Horizon League matchup. The Colonials defeated the Panthers in dramatic fashion back on Jan. 17 by the score of 81-79.