Robert Morris won for the second time in three road games Wednesday night, putting together a solid effort in a 71-66 victory at Central Michigan.
The Colonials played well from the get go, taking control late in the first half and building a 32-25 lead at the break. They led by as many as 10 (39-29) early in the second half before Central Michigan battled back.
The Eagles went on a 12-0 run to grab a 41-39 lead with 13:17 remaining.
At that point, the Colonials could either fold or answer, and they had a big answer. Robert Morris went on an 8-0 run to reclaim a 47-41 lead, and they never trailed again.
"A fight is a good, descriptive term," Colonials coach Andrew Toole, per the school release. "Really it was a rock fight. They pressured us and took us out of our offensive flow, especially early. I thought one of the keys of the game was when Mike (Green III) got in. He really gave us an advantage in opening up shots for guys.
"Central Michigan is a tough, physical team. We preached to them in the first half to keep guarding and we'd figure out ways to score. We were able to do that in the second half, with Josh hitting some big shots and Enoch and Kahliel also with some big contributions. Proud of the way our guys were able to withstand some of the ups and downs and finish off our road trip with a win."
Kahliel Spear had a monster game with 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
"Kahliel has always rebounded the ball well, but he's just been so consistent and engaged the last four, five games on the defensive end," Toole said. "He's moving his feet, blocking shots and getting great positioning under the basket to grab those rebounds. To get 15 rebounds to go along with seven assists, in addition to what he gives us offensively, that's monstrous."
Josh Corbin led the Colonials (4-6) with 20 points, burying 6 of 11 3-pointers. Enoch Cheeks added 17 points.
"Defensively I really thought we locked in for a full 40 minutes, and that was great to see," Toole said. "We forced them into a lot of tough shots. Everyone that played contributed to that defensive effort, too.
"Matt Mayers gave us some great minutes. Chris (Ford) only played five minutes but they were huge. On one possession he had a deflection and the other a rebound. Central Michigan went right at him, and to his credit, Chris stood his ground. Those are the types of winning plays that are so important in a close game in terms of which side you end up on."
Robert Morris' next game is Saturday at home against Marshall. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
THE ESSENTIALS
