RMU hopes to keep its ‘comeback’ going
With 12.9 seconds remaining, Kavon Stewart got the matchup he wanted.
A screen at his right elbow by Matty McConnell forced 6-foot-7 LIU Brooklyn forward Jerome Frink to switch onto Stewart. Taking advantage of the size disparity, the 6-foot Stewart drove past Frink and floated a layup to give Robert Morris a 69-68 lead with three seconds left.
The Colonials held on, upsetting the No. 2-seeded Blackbirds Wednesday night to advance to the semifinals of the Northeast Conference tournament. It’s the first time a No. 7 seed has defeated a No. 2 seed in the tournament since 2004, and only the sixth time in tournament history.
After the thrilling victory, Robert Morris has now won seven of its past nine games. With a tough semifinal matchup against No. 1 Mount St. Mary’s set for Saturday, can Robert Morris sustain this?
“It was a very dramatic win and super exciting win for our guys,” coach Andy Toole said Thursday. “Mentally, they’re feeling very good about their odds. They celebrated, they were excited. We’ve won a couple of close games here in the last few weeks, which we hadn’t done prior to. So, I think it’s helping them build some confidence, some momentum as we continue.”
It was sophomore guard McConnell who stepped up to help another sophomore guard and leading scorer Isaiah Still shoulder the scoring load. McConnell opened the game by hitting three consecutive 3-pointers. He finished with 20 points, knocking down 6 of 9 3s and 7 of 10 shots overall.
“I think that kinda put them on their heels a little bit for the rest of the game, kinda figuring out who would guard him, who would guard Isaiah, who would guard Kavon,” Toole said. “I think it helped us tremendously.”
The 2 p.m. game Saturday at No. 1 Mount St. Mary’s stands between Robert Morris and a berth in the NEC tournament championship. The Colonials were 0-2 against The Mount this season, losing the two games by a combined five points.
Robert Morris held a 35-25 lead on the road Jan. 26, but the Colonials were held to one field goal after the 8:45 mark of the second half, enabling Mount St. Mary’s to come back for a 48-47 win.
The Colonials trailed The Mount by 12, 67-55, with 4:35 to play when Robert Morris faced them at home Feb. 9. An 11-0 run trimmed the deficit to one with 42 seconds remaining, but Mount St. Mary’s held on to win, 74-70.
“We’re improving, and it’s nice to win some games, but I think we still have room to grow,” Toole said. “I think there’s more we can improve on. I think as long as they’ll allow us to go to the gym to have practice, to have games, I think there’s more things we can continue to get better at.
“That’s what we’ve focused on the last 6-8 weeks, and I think that’s what we’ll continue to focus on regardless of how the season continues.”