Robert Morris tops IUPUI for 1st Horizon road victory this season

Not much has been easy for the Robert Morris men’s basketball team since joining the Horizon League a year ago. The Colonials have had their moments, but most times — even in battles down to the wire — they’ve come up short.

Saturday’s matchup against shorthanded IUPUI in the teams’ first-ever meeting, was no different, though the Colonials managed to finish on top, leading wire-to-wire for their first Horizon road success of the season and just the second overall.

Kahliel Spear posted his second consecutive double-double and sixth of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Robert Morris ran away from the Jaguars in the second half for a 66-49 victory at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.

RMU’s only other road win this season came in a nonconference game at St. Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 22.

Enoch Cheeks added 14 points and eight rebounds for Robert Morris (6-17, 4-10), which returns home for a pair of Horizon games Wednesday against Detroit Mercy and Friday against Oakland.

Robert Morris finally broke free from IUPUI (2-19, 0-10) late in the second half, when Cheeks’ 3-point shot with 4 minutes, 39 seconds remaining — part of an 8-0 Colonials run — gave them their biggest lead to that point, 55-43.

“The second half was critical,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “Kahliel and Enoch really sparked our energy after the break, and the rest of the team built off that. That’s what you need to win on the road, is to guard. Enoch really ignited that defense at the top of the key in the second half, and we were able to lock in and get a win on the road.”

IUPUI, which continued to play with just six healthy bodies because of injuries, was led by B.J. Maxwell’s 16 points. Boston Stanton III added 10 points and Chuks Isitua finished with a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Jaguars entered the game last in Division I in scoring offense (51.8 ppg). Their two victories this year have come against non-Division I opponents.

Robert Morris built a 20-9 lead before IUPUI ran off 10 points over the next 4:18 to close within 20-19. Michael Green III connected on a 3-pointer for Robert Morris with 6:51 left and the Colonials, who never trailed, wound up clinging to a 28-27 halftime lead.

“In the first half, we cut some corners,” Toole said. “But in the second half, we went above and beyond with our effort, and the game rewarded that. It was all predicated on getting stops.”

The victory improved Robert Morris’ all-time record in the Horizon to 7-24 and surpassed the Colonials’ total of three league wins of last season.

“It’s a daily battle to keep the right mindset,” Toole said. “Each and every game is a new experience and an opportunity for guys to figure things out. We’ve been trying to build that buy-in, and when you have some success, that becomes easier.”

Robert Morris won for the third time in four games and rebounded from an 80-75 loss at Illinois-Chicago on Thursday. Former Southmoreland star Brandon Stone returned to the Colonials’ lineup but played just five minutes after missing the UIC game with an undisclosed ailment.