Robert Morris dominates down the stretch to top Green Bay

Judging by what happened to Milwaukee on Feb. 6, Robert Morris coach Andy Toole knew it would be a bad idea to overlook the Green Bay Phoenix.

On the road in Milwaukee, Green Bay pulled off a stunning 1-point upset, dealing the Panthers a loss that could compromise their Horizon League regular-season title aspirations.

The win marked the second in 18 tries for Green Bay dating to Dec. 10.

Thus, despite Green Bay’s (3-25, 2-15) lowly status within the conference, Toole and the Colonials entered Thursday evening’s contest against the Phoenix at UPMC Events Center minus any over-confidence stemming from playing a seemingly inferior opponent.

Such an approach bore fruit as the Colonials (13-15, 8-9) cruised to a 71-56 victory, taking control of the game down the stretch of the second half after leading by only one point at halftime.

“We always talk about respecting the game,” Toole said. “You have to respect the game, and you have to respect your opponent. If you ever try to skip steps, you put yourself in jeopardy.”

“…We don’t have the right to overlook anybody. We’ve got to make sure that we bring our best every time we get on the floor.”

Enoch Cheeks paced Robert Morris with 18 points on 5 of 11 shooting, with Kahliel Spear (12 points, nine rebounds) and Jackson Last (10 points, nine assists) finishing just shy of double-doubles.

Michael Green III, fresh off a season-high 24-point performance in Robert Morris’ comeback win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 12, scored 13 points Thursday.

Robert Morris found itself trailing by four points less than two minutes into the second half but used an 8-0 run into the first media timeout to take a 38-34 lead.

Things stayed tight over the ensuing minutes, but following a pair of Cheeks free throws and a layup by Stephaun Walker, Robert Morris took a 47-40 lead with 11 minutes, 5 seconds to play.

That lead would stretch to double digits with about nine minutes left, with the Colonials going up by as much as 17 before the final buzzer sounded.

Green Bay attempted to rally late, coming within nine points with 1:43 to go, but the deficit the Phoenix faced was too great. Robert Morris kept up the pressure offensively as well as by controlling the glass.

Last played a key role in the rebounding department, snagging a season-high nine, four of which were in the offensive zone, a team-high.

Overall, Robert Morris edged Green Bay, 40-28, on the glass and racked up 20 second-chance points.

“It’s something that we talked about going into the game — we thought we could get some offensive rebounds,” Toole said. “I thought (Last) did a great job of that.

“… With Jackson, he’s just so versatile. He’s able to play multiple positions, he’s able to guard multiple positions, he’s able to make good decisions offensively and he’s able to rebound the ball.”

The Colonials have three regular-season games remaining before the Horizon League Tournament, which starts Feb. 28.

Up next for Robert Morris is a home game Saturday against Milwaukee.