Robert Morris survives buzzer-beater scare vs. Wright State

Five years into its Horizon League journey, Robert Morris has shown signs of stabilizing its men’s basketball program following a rocky transition from the lesser-renowned Northeast Conference, where the Colonials traditionally were among the top teams.

On Sunday against Wright State at UPMC Events Center, where four days earlier a second-half collapse led to an 11-point loss to Cleveland State, Robert Morris sent another signal of hope.

Thanks, in part, to a tardy 3-point shot.

Amarion Dickerson’s dunk and free throw in the final 3 seconds stood as the winning points after Brandon Noel’s potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer for Wright State was discounted in a 75-72 Robert Morris victory, the Colonials’ fifth in their past seven games.

Their latest outcome was yet another tightly contested battle during a monthlong stretch that also includes a triple-overtime victory over Northern Kentucky, a one-point triumph over Towson and an overtime loss at Detroit Mercy.

“It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that I just helped us get a W, but it was definitely a team effort, a staff effort,” said Dickerson, a first-year Division I player who began his career in the junior college ranks at Mineral Area (Mo.). “It was a community effort, too. The vibe here was great. Everything came into play with it.”

It is that sort of mindset — whether after a home victory such as Sunday’s or a home loss such as Wednesday’s 80-69 decision to Cleveland State — that seems to energize Robert Morris’ Andy Toole during his 15th season as the Colonials’ coach.

“There are lot of guys in that locker room that take losses hard, and they really want to win,” Toole said. “They don’t always understand the discipline and consistency necessary to make that a constant, but they do want to win. Our job as coaches is to move them in that direction.”

Alvaro Folgueiras led five Robert Morris players in double figures with 16 points. Josh Omojafo added 15, Dickerson and D.J. Smith contributed 13 apiece and Ryan Prather Jr. — on his 22nd birthday — finished with 11 for the Colonials (11-7, 3-4).

Noel, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior and the Horizon’s Preseason Player of the Year, paced Wright State (9-9, 3-4) with 16 points, despite having his last-second 3-pointer nullified. Andrew Welage added 14, Jack Doumbia chipped in 11 and Keaton Norris notched 10 for the Raiders, who were playing without injured redshirt senior guard Alex Huibregtse, their second-leading scorer behind Noel.

Huibregtse, a preseason second-team all-conference selection, needed 10 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

With just one non-losing league record in its first four seasons in the Horizon (.500 in 2022-23), Robert Morris continued a march toward at least its first overall winning record since leaving the NEC following the 2019-20 campaign.

Robert Morris, with 13 regular-season games to go, hits the road for three consecutive beginning Friday at Green Bay, followed by trips to Milwaukee on Sunday and Youngstown State on Jan. 22.

The Colonials will be home again Jan. 25 to play Oakland in a rematch of the their 79-71 road victory on Jan. 4.

With the teams tied 72-72, after Noel’s basket with 22 seconds left, Dickerson accepted a pass from Kam Woods with time winding down and slammed home the go-ahead shot for Robert Morris.

“It was a great call by coach Toole and the staff just putting the ball in Kam’s hands to make the right decision and allow me to do what I do and play basketball and finish at the rim,” said Dickerson, who is averaging 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds and leads the team with 49 blocks.

Wright State immediately turned over the ball when Doumbia, racing downcourt in traffic, was whistled for a double dribble. The Raiders then fouled Dickerson, who made the second of two free-throw attempts with 1.1 seconds left to give Robert Morris a three-point advantage.

Wright State then got the ball to Noel at the other end, where he stepped behind the 3-point line and swished a shot as the final buzzer sounded, but it was disallowed after an official’s review.

The outcome sparked a Robert Morris celebration that Dickerson later said demonstrated the passion the Colonials have shown all season.

“Whether it’s playing a game of pool, who can throw the quarter the farthest, no matter what it is, I want to win,” he said. “I just try to establish that throughout the team, throughout the staff, throughout the RMU community that by any means, when the last horn blows, I want to be a part of the team that comes out on top.”

Toole, of course, embraced that passion, too.

“Amarion’s one of the guys that’s helped with the competitive nature of the team,” he said. “He’s incredibly prideful. He is determined to figure out a way to be successful as a basketball player, and he seems to be almost everywhere at times on the court. He’s got great instincts. In timeouts, he’s about guys raising their level. He plays with a great spirit and energy.”

After the teams played to a 34-34 halftime deadlock, Robert Morris narrowly led for much of the second half, building modest leads of six points on three occasions.

In fact, it remained a two-possession game during the final 20 minutes with six ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points during the final 4:35.

Robert Morris jumped to a 10-2 first-half lead but fell behind near the midpoint mark before regaining control on Smith’s layup for a 20-18 advantage at the 8:52 mark.

The Colonials extended their lead to 26-19 on Omojafo’s jumper while holding Wright State scoreless for 2 1/2 minutes.

But the Raiders pulled even at 31-31 with 1:30 left on a dunk by Doumbia, and the teams continued fighting for control before eventually settling for a tie at the break.