Robert Morris punches NCAA ticket for 9th time, beats St. Francis (Pa.) for NEC title

Only a few minutes into the Northeast Conference championship game Tuesday night, blood already was trickling from Dante Treacy’s mouth.

Then, he missed his first three shots.

In the end, none of it mattered.

Treacy, a sophomore point guard from Orlando Fla., responded by stepping onto the brightest stage of his career and scoring 18 points to lead Robert Morris (20-14) to a 77-67 victory against St. Francis (Pa.) in front of a sellout crowd of 4,034 at UPMC Events Center.

The prize was Robert Morris’ ninth NCAA Tournament berth, its first since 2015.

“He’s a dude, he doesn’t blink,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “He doesn’t back down.”

Throughout the game, Treacy kept driving toward the basket while St. Francis was worried about Robert Morris’ leading scorer this season, Josh Williams, and the Colonials’ muscle in the paint, Yannis Mendy and A.J. Bramah.

Treacy kept control of the basketball, dishing out five assists, hitting 8 of 11 shots and committing only two turnovers in more than 25 minutes. He was named tournament MVP after averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals and shooting 65.2 percent over three games.

He helped turn the title game into a romp while Williams added 17 points and Mendy and Bramah 12 each. Robert Morris led for more than 37 minutes and by as many as 19 points midway through the second half.

“Guys kept telling me, `Believe in myself,’ ” he said. “I just trusted in their word and that’s what just kept me going.

“I tried to just attack and get to the hoop as much I can.”

Treacy didn’t start any games last season as a freshman, but he didn’t waste the off-season.

“When I went home for summer, I just worked,” he said. “I don’t think I took a day off. I worked with my brother, my Pops. Just doing what we did to get me here.”

Toole said Treacy, a transfer from West Point, mirrored the rest of the team.

“One of the toughest teams I’ve ever coached, mentally, Toole said. “Guys are locked in each and every day.

“As the season went on, they raised their level every time they were challenged. When you have the competitiveness and the toughness that they have, you become willing to do so much more to be able to win.”

After the game, Toole recalled a previous conversation with assistant coach Mike Iuzzolino about their plans for Treacy this season.

`What do we think this guy’s cap is? What do we think he can become?’ ” Toole asked.

“Mike said, `I don’t know. I just know he’s tough.’

“And the game honors toughness. He’s as tough as they come.”

Treacy’s work ethic as much as his talent gave coaches no choice but to insert him in the starting lineup.

“We weren’t talking in the summer about him being a starter and playing 30-plus minutes a game,” Toole said, “but because of the way he works, because he’s always willing to do whatever it takes, opportunities and success follow that.”

Robert Morris was a 1 ½-point underdog Tuesday, even though the Colonials were the tournament’s No. 1 seed.

“It seemed like we were just hosting the tournament,” Toole said. “We were one of the only teams in conference tournament play that was No. 1 seed that wasn’t the favorite.

“These guys took that personally.”

After surviving a 59-58 victory against St. Francis Brooklyn in the first game, Robert Morris beat Long Island by 20 and St. Francis (Pa.) by 10.

“We played 80 minutes of as good a basketball as you can play in the semifinal and final,” said Toole, who’s been a part of 261 victories in 13 years at Robert Morris.

The trip next week to the NCAA Tournament will be the sixth for Toole, still six months short of his 40th birthday. He went twice as a point guard at Penn, and twice as an assistant under former Robert Morris coach Mike Rice. This victory sends him to his second as the head coach.

“This is something you could get greedy for,” he said.

Asked what he’ll tell his players about the experience, he said, “Keep trying to go back.”

“This is what you play Division I basketball for, to be part of the NCAA Tournament.”