Robert Morris men knock off Youngstown State in Horizon League Tournament opener

Before entering their second Horizon League men’s basketball tournament, the Robert Morris Colonials were issued a challenge by coach Andy Toole: Don’t quit.

They heard him loud and clear and went on to provide Toole with his 200th career victory Monday night by claiming an opening-round 77-73 decision against Youngstown State at Beeghley Center in Youngstown, Ohio.

Khaliel Spear scored 19 points and hauled in 13 rebounds — his ninth double-double of the season and 10th of his career — to lead No. 10 Robert Morris (8-23), which advances to the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Thursday at top-seeded Cleveland State (19-9).

The Colonials, who dropped a pair of regular-season contests to the Vikings by a total of eight points, including a one-point decision, ended a four-game losing streak by holding off a late charge by No. 7 Youngstown State (18-14).

“Guys were talking all the time in the huddles about maintaining focus, doing the right stuff,” said Toole, who is 200-192 in 12 seasons, all at Robert Morris.

He berated his players following their 71-61 loss at Wright State in the regular-season finale in hopes of rousing a favorable response, and the Colonials came through in a big way, leading Youngstown State by as many as 20 points in the second half before holding on down the stretch.

“Everybody who touched the court played very well,” Toole said. “Everybody stepped up and did what was necessary to win and continue to play.”

Cleveland State’s sparkling record and Robert Morris’ immensely subpar mark give the Vikings the appearance of an overwhelming favorite. But the Colonials gave Cleveland State fits in their season series, losing just 78-77 on Jan. 7 at UPMC Events Center and 75-68 on Jan. 23 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland.

“We’ve got to focus on ourselves,” Toole said. “We’ve got to continue to get better, continue to understand how to handle situations, make sure we are taking care of our bodies so that we can recover and play as hard as we played tonight and keep the season going.”

Robert Morris, which improved to 4-9 in games decided by eight points or less following its first Horizon League Tournament victory, hadn’t won since a 73-68 victory at Youngstown State on Jan. 23. The Colonials are 7-5 overall at Beeghley Center.

In their latest appearance there, the Colonials never trailed Youngstown State, though there were three first-half ties. But Robert Morris enjoyed a 35-26 halftime lead on the strength of a 10-0 run that broke a 23-23 tie.

The hot-shooting Colonials, who made 28 of 52 shots (53.8%), added a 9-0 run from the end of the first half through the start of the second, scoring the first seven points after halftime to build a 42-26 cushion.

Their lead ballooned to 20 points, 62-42, with 6 minutes, 51 seconds left on a dunk by Matt Mayers.

Youngstown State, which managed a 64-60 victory over Robert Morris on Jan. 5 at UPMC Events Center then lost the last two meetings, used a 15-5 run to close within 67-57 with 1:29 to go.

Robert Morris survived, though, converting 12 free throws in the final 2:12, including 6 of 8 by Enoch Cheeks and 3 of 4 (in the final 27 seconds) by Michael Green III.

Overall, the Colonials were 17 for 25 from the free-throw line.

Toole said he wasn’t surprised by the Penguins’ frantic 31-15 blitz down the stretch after Robert Morris had taken a 20-point lead.

“We knew Youngstown was going to make a run,” he said. “There’s probably some things we can learn from that. We haven’t been up 20 very much this year, so these guys have got to understand how you’ve got to continue to act. We’ve been trying all year to get them to play with more urgency and be engaged. It dipped a little there, but we ratcheted it back up, which is so critical.

“Again, it’s a learning experience.”

Cheeks and Kam Farris added 12 points apiece for Robert Morris, while Mayers and Green III contributed 10 each.

Dwayne Cohill’s 25 points led Youngstown State. Tevin Olison scored 17 for the Penguins, who lost for the third time in a row.