Robert Morris faced Oakland in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament, looking to complete the three-game season sweep. But for most of the game, it wasn’t going the way of the Colonials. They were down by four at halftime and as much as 13 in the second half.
However, RMU made a big comeback late to tie the game into OT, before winning the game, 79-76 to advance to the title game. Here are some key takeaways from the game.
1. Vintage Kam Woods
This was the kind of Woods game that we’ve seen a lot of this season. He started out the game 1/9 from the field in the first 20 minutes. But he went 7/10 in the final 25 minutes to finish with 23 points and seven assists, including the final six points to get the game into OT. He played all 45 minutes and never once gave up, making another set of clutch plays to keep RMU in the game.
2. Ismael Plet’s big game
Amarion Dickerson got into big foul trouble early on, while Alvaro Folgueiras got into foul trouble late before fouling out at the end of regulation. But Plet gave the team huge minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points and five rebounds, along with defending Allen David Mukeba much better in the second half. Without him, the Colonials don’t win the game.
3. Defense finally came through late
You wouldn’t know it by the score, but Oakland was shooting nearly 70% from the field for the first 32 minutes. Yet credit to RMU for keeping the game close to even having a shot at OT. In the final five minutes, the Colonials held the Grizzlies to two points on 0/7 FG shooting, including 0/6 from deep. None of them were easy looks, and that defensive effort is why RMU is 40 minutes away from a Horizon League Tournament championship.