MOON TWP, PA (93.7 The Fan) – It's something that graduate student Kam Woods said before the Horizon League quarterfinal matchup on Thursday. A member of the NC State Final Four team last year, he said the key in tournament play is keeping your poise when trailing. They did and were rewarded with an 83-62 win over Wright State.
Colonials trailed 18-8 early forcing a timeout by Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole.
"We said a lot of stuff at that timeout," Toole deadpanned. "I think we just reminded them of some of the things that we had talked about leading up to the game."
Quickly an 11-0 run gave RMU the lead. They would add a 13-0 advantage right before half to lead by 10 at halftime. A 10-2 run early in the second half would keep the gap double-digits where it remained for most of the game.
"The crowd, packed like that, we didn't want to let the city down," Woods said. "That would have been the last game. The crowd wouldn't have been like that again for a minute. Just the energy that the crowd was bringing gave us momentum. We didn't want to lose. Losing was not an option."
It was a UPMC Events Center record 4,058 fans.
"I thought that was an awesome environment for college basketball," Toole said. "Everybody was loud. Everybody was there early. It was great. We'd love it to be like that all the time. It was awesome to have everybody come out and create an awesome home-court advantage. The students came out incredibly well. They were loud all night. After the first 5-6 minutes of the game, I thought our performance kind of mirrored the energy in the building."
Woods finished with a game-high 19 points with four assists and a pair of steals. He was one of five Robert Morris players in double figures. DJ Smith finished with 14 points (3-6 from 3 including a big pair early) along with a game-high seven assists. Josh Omojafo (9-10 FT) and Ryan Prather (5-6 FG) had 13 points. Horizon League Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras had 12 points.
"When you stop one person, you have to guard another one," Woods said. "We have one through five on the court who can do pretty much everything. That's what makes us special. I feel like that will help us on this run we're trying to make."
Where Robert Morris held an advantage
· +11 rebounds
· +9 offensive rebounds
· +14 points off turnovers
· +12 second chance points
· +25 free throw attempts, +14 made free throws
Notes
· RMU had 18 assists on 27 made field goals
· RMU had 10 steals to 9 turnovers
· Wright State shot the ball at a higher percentage 48.2 to 47.4%
Robert Morris will play Monday at 7p against Oakland in the semifinals in Indianapolis. RMU swept the season series winning 79-71 on the road and 73-71 at home.
"Every win is hard to get at this time," Toole said. "Obviously Coach Kampe is as good as they get. He could coach any team at any level. The way that they prepare their team offensively. What they do defensively. You got to be able to be locked in. You got to be able to be connected as a group. You got to be able to give your best effort."
Double win
Robert Morris women's team used a nine-point advantage in the third quarter to pull away from Northern Kentucky to advance to the semi-finals. Junior Noa Givon finished with a game-high, and Robert Morris career-high, 23 points. Uniontown High School graduate Mya Murray had 11 points, four rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals.
A motivator for the team all year, RMU was picked 11th in the preseason poll and now advances to the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship.
"Both of us are trying to compete for championships," Toole said. "We are trying to elevate our programs. Any time you have other programs having success in your department, I think that's a positive. It continues to show the direction of the department and the coaches and the players that are a part of it."
