Robert Morris opened Horizon League play with a fantastic showing Thursday night on the road against one of the conference's projected upper-echelon teams.
The Colonials clobbered Wright State, 80-59, turning things on late in the first half and then cruising over the final 20 minutes in Fairborn, Ohio. Robert Morris was picked to finish eighth in the Horizon League, while Wright State was picked third and garnered three first-place votes in the preseason poll.
Robert Morris was a 12-point underdog in this game, and yet won by 21 points.
"It was a great team effort," Colonials coach Andrew Toole said in a university release. "Wright State is such a talented offensive team, and they showed that early tonight, but I thought once we got into the flow of the game every time they tried to attack us, we slowed the pace down.
"We were really locked in defensively against a really good offensive team and responded properly because we did it together. The communication was great, the execution was great and that's what it takes. We know we have some of the pieces. It's just a matter of valuing the details. Whether the ball goes in the basket like it did tonight or doesn't go in the basket we have to continue to pay attention to the details. If we have that urgency on the defensive side, that's only going to help us."
Kahliel Spear poured in 27 points and hit 12 of 15 shots for Robert Morris (3-5), which snapped a four-game losing streak and picked up its first win over a Division I opponent this season.
"Kahliel was really good and why I think he was really good is because he was strong," Toole said. "He didn't try and rush. When he got to the basket he was on balance. When he gets to those spots and makes those reads and finishes, he can be tough to stop."
Josh Corbin added 15 points for the Colonials, while Enoch Cheeks had 12 and Michael Green III chipped in 11 off the bench.
Robert Morris pulled away from a 32-32 tie late in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first half to grab a 44-36 halftime lead.
The Colonials dominated to start the second half, holding Wright State to just four points over the first 8:11 to build their lead to 59-40.
Robert Morris was coming off a tough stretch where it lost three games in three days at a tournament last weekend in Savannah, Ga. The Colonials fell to Mercer (72-66), Evansville (54-53) and South Alabama (84-70) in that tourney.
They were in need of something good to help jump start their season, and just may have gotten it with the road upset Thursday.
"I think every win is meaningful," Toole said. "Every possession is meaningful. We're still trying to get everyone locked in and learning how to win. There were some challenges tonight, but we stepped up and made the plays that we needed to in order to get that win. It's something that we can show the guys that I think they can feel good about and will help them as we move forward in a league that is challenging. Every night is going to be a tough game. We know that as coaches. It's our job to get the guys ready for the next one."
Robert Morris' next game is at Northern Kentucky on Saturday at 6 p.m. That will be a tough game as the Norse were picked to finish first in the Horizon League, tying with Purdue Fort Wayne.
THE ESSENTIALS
