Colonials eliminated

Robert Morris victim of recordsetting performance in Horizon tournament loss.

Antoine Davis set Horizon League tournament records with 46 points and 10 3pointers, and host Detroit Mercy beat Robert Morris, 8373, on Thursday night.

Junior Kahliel Spear, a transfer from Bucknell, scored a career- high 22 points, 20 of them in the first half, for the Colonials (4-15), who closed their pandemic -shortened season with four consecutive losses. Jon Williams added 17 points and nine assists, and Kam Farris had 15 points.

“I wanted the season to continue if we could, and I thought we battled,” said Robert Morris coach Andrew Toole. “It was symbolic of the majority of our year. We just weren’t able to get enough stops.”

Bul Kuol had 14 points and seven rebounds for fifthseeded Detroit Mercy (12-9), which beat Robert Morris three times this season. Chris Brandon added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Marquell Fraser had six assists. Davis, a junior guard who leads the Horizon League in scoring, was 16 of 26 from the field, including 10 of 16 from 3-point range.

The 12th-seeded Colonials trailed, 36-24, at the half, too big a deficit to overcome despite shooting 61 percent and outscoring the Titans, 4947, in the second half. Spear, who was declared eligible by the NCAA in mid-December, became more of a focal point on offense after frontcourt mate Charles Bain left with an injury, having played just 19 minutes.

Women N.C. State 83, Pitt 53:

The Panthers ( 5- 12, 3- 11 ACC) missed 15 of 18 shots in the first quarter and found themselves in an immediate hole. The No. 2-ranked Wolfpack (16-2, 11-2), meanwhile, made 16 of 26 3-pointers to tie the program record for made 3s in a game. N.C. State led by double digits nearly the entire way and ran off a 20-0 stretch in the third quarter to blow the game open.

Freshman Sandrine Clesca had a season-high 12 points to lead the Panthers. They finished the game shooting 40%, a figure boosted by a 7for-10 shooting performance in the final quarter with the outcome no longer in doubt.

“They started in the paint and then they have kids that can shoot it,” Pitt coach Lance White said. “You’ve got to pick your poison.”

Northern Kentucky 68, Robert Morris 54: Lindsey

Duvall scored a career high 29 points and the host Norse (8-10) beat the Colonials (413) in the first round of the Horizon League tournament, ending their season.

Guard Esther Castedo led Robert Morris with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. She also recorded three steals. Sol Castro added 9 points and seven rebounds, but the Colonials shot just 38% from the field and 4 of 21 from 3point range.

Duvall added 14 rebounds for Northern Kentucky, which outrebounded Robert Morris, 37-23.