RMU EARNS NCAA BID
Colonials earn their first trip to NCAAs since ’15 in blowout win
Jalen Hawkins was standing on the bench before the game was over, waving a towel.
Dante Treacy, who finished the game with 18 points and five assists and won the Northeast Conference tournament’s most valuable player award, was pumping his fists at the student section under the basket as time was running out.
Josh Williams, the fifth-year senior guard who has had chance after chance for an NCAA tournament spot, but always has fallen short, was hugging everyone he could.
Then, the buzzer sounded, and it was a mob scene.
No. 1 seed Robert Morris dominated Saint Francis, 77-67, winning the NEC tournament and clinching a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015 and the ninth time overall.
“You put in the work year after year, you come up short, and you just want to get a taste of what it’s like,” Williams said after the game. “I was finally able to do that, and it feels so good.”
The defining run came at the beginning of the second half.
The Colonials held a nine-point advantage out of the break, but, after five minutes of the second half, that lead was stretched out to 17. Treacy, who led Robert Morris offensively all game long, hit the big basket in the run, stepping into a 3-pointer from the right wing to extend the lead to 15.
The Red Flash hung around for a time. It made small runs to maintain a reasonable doubt about the outcome, but the Colonials always had the big shot to answer.
When Saint Francis cut it to an 11-point game with 12:23 left, junior guard Jon Williams led a fastbreak for Robert Morris. His brother, Josh, was right behind him, shouting to make sure Jon knew he was there. He did and found Josh, who hit a 3 to bring it back to 14.
Then, when the lead was cut to 12 with 6:17 left, Josh Williams hit three free throws and junior forward AJ Bramah threw down a two-handed, putback dunk that brought the crowd back to life.
“I was so excited. This is really the best moment of my life, I swear,” Bramah said.
And with less than three minutes to go, Josh Williams hit one more 3 to make it a 16-point game, taking all doubt out of the ending. It was appropriate it was Josh Williams so many times because he has set the tone for the Colonials’ program since transferring from Akron University to Robert Morris two years ago.
“When Josh got here, we were a .500 team,” coach Andy Toole said after the game. “And coming from a winning program and all his life being a winner, he started to set the tone, and then guys were able to follow. So like I said, it’s an unbelievable feeling. These guys will be walking on clouds for the next seven to 10 days, and they should, because this is an unbelievable moment for them.”
With the environment that existed at UPMC Events Center to start the game — it was sold out for the second time this season — it seemed likely that the Colonials would come out energized, and that’s exactly what they did.
With Saint Francis putting a defensive emphasis on stopping Josh Williams, Robert Morris looked inside at the beginning of the game.
And right there was senior center Yannis Mendy, who scored eight early points, helping to get the Colonials offense moving in the right direction.
The real ring leader in the first 20 minutes was Treacy, though. He was Robert Morris’ most consistent option, as he found guys cutting through the lane and hit some crafty layups as well, leading the Colonials to a 3425 advantage at the break.