Single-digit outcomes are becoming a habit for the Robert Morris men’s basketball team, which won another close road game Friday night.
As long as the Colonials are successful, coach Andy Toole has no problem with a pattern that already has produced seven victories in 10 such outings during their first 16 games.
DeSean Goode scored 18 points, Nikolaos Chitikoudis added 13 points and 10 rebounds and the Colonials sizzled from the free-throw line in evening their road record with an 85-77 victory against Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall in Detroit.
Robert Morris (11-5, 3-2 Horizon League) rallied from a halftime deficit for a third time this season to come away victorious.
“(Down) 32-27 at the half isn’t the prettiest, but it keeps you in the mix,” Toole said on RMU’s postgame show. “To have your offense come out and catch a little fire in the second half was critical.”
Ryan Prather Jr. scored 13 of his 16 points after intermission, Albert Vargas also scored 13 points and Josh Hill finished with 12 for the Colonials, who outscored Detroit Mercy, 58-45, during the final 20 minutes to improve to 4-4 in games away from UPMC Events Center.
“I’m really, really proud of the second-half performance by the guys tonight,” Toole said. “A lot of guys stepped up, not necessarily by scoring baskets. They just made winning plays, and all those little things add up.”
Robert Morris shot a season-high 88% (28 for 32) from the foul line and converted 10 in a row in the final 1 minute, 15 seconds to hold off Detroit Mercy (6-8, 3-2) for its fifth win in the past six games against the Titans.
The Colonials won for the fourth time in five games overall and eighth in the past 10.
Detroit Mercy was led by Orlando Lovejoy and T.J. Nadeau with 20 points each. Tyler Spratt added 12 for the Titans, who made 20 of 26 free throws (77%).
The Titans, who shot 48% (25 for 52), led for much of the way during a tightly contested first half that saw Detroit Mercy enjoy a 34-29 halftime lead.
Robert Morris was cold from the field early on but finished at 45% (25 for 55).
“The game in the first half was very choppy for us,” Toole said. “Detroit did a good job with that. They were switching their positioning, defensively. We were making slow decisions. I didn’t think we had good pace.”
The Titans extended their advantage to 40-32 on a basket by Nadeau with 16:13 left.
Robert Morris responded with a 16-4 run over the next 3 1/2 minutes, capped by Prather’s go-ahead 3-pointer and a layup by Vargas for a 48-44 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.
A pair of 3-pointers by Goode, who shot 6 for 8 (3 for 3 from behind the arc), pushed the Robert Morris lead to double digits. Prather’s 3-pointer with 7:04 remaining gave the Colonials their biggest advantage at 65-53.
“In the second half, we were able to figure some things out and be able to get opportunities for ourselves, put the ball in the basket and get some rhythm,” Toole said.
Detroit Mercy made a run and closed within 71-67 with 2:49 left on consecutive 3-pointers by Lovejoy and Spratt.
Vargas scored twice in the paint to extend Robert Morris’ lead to 75-67, and the Colonials hit their free throws down the stretch to survive.
“I looked up at around the 12-minute mark of the second half, and they had scored 12 points in the first 8 minutes,” Toole said, referring to Detroit Mercy. “We were doing a pretty good job, defensively, until that last handful there when they made 3s and kept the game within reach.”
Robert Morris completes a two-game road swing Sunday at Oakland before returning home to face Purdue Fort Wayne a week later, on Jan. 11 at UPMC Events Center.