Josh Williams leads Robert Morris past Central Michigan

Josh Williams is a graduate of Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary, the same high school that produced LeBron James.

Williams played Tuesday night like he wanted to impress the NBA superstar, scoring 24 points and leading Robert Morris to a marquee victory at UPMC Events Center, an 83-79 decision against Central Michigan.

“Today, we stuck together more than ever,” said Williams, a 6-foot-2 redshirt senior, who shot 6 for 10 (5 for 9 from 3-point range) and contributed a team-high eight rebounds.

It was the second consecutive victory for Robert Morris (4-8), which was coming off a 64-59 victory at Florida Gulf Coast 11 days earlier.

“That win sparked more engagement,” Williams said, adding it carried over to Tuesday after Robert Morris returned from a road victory and staged some spirited practices.

“This win really helps us to understand we’re a really good team and that no deficit is too hard to handle. We have a good, solid team.”

Robert Morris overcame an 11-point second-half deficit against Central Michigan (7-5), which was coming off an 87-76 loss Saturday at Texas.

The Colonials, behind Williams’ 18 points after intermission, put on another inspired performance in a basketball season mostly filled with disappointment.

They led at Marquette for most of the game Nov. 23 before absorbing a 66-62 defeat, and they came away with a 67-60 loss to Marshall in their opener.

“We’ve seen glimpses of it in every game, but we haven’t been able to sustain it for 40 minutes,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “We challenged them at halftime on some things, and they chose to respond to it this way.”

Toole praised his players for their effort, even when the Colonials fell behind in the early going of the second half.

“Central Michigan is a really good team that can really score the ball,” Toole said. “They killed us in the first half, running it down our throat, make or miss. I’m really proud of the effort, and these guys proved to themselves that good things can happen when you play team basketball.”

The Colonials produced 16 assists on 28 baskets and finished with fewer turnovers (14) than Central Michigan (16).

Playing for the just the third time at home, Robert Morris made its latest effort worthwhile. Williams’ two free throws with 16 seconds left provided an 80-77 lead.

But the Colonials weren’t able to ice the victory until Williams sank three more from the line in the final 1.5 seconds after Central Michigan closed within 80-79 on two free throws of its own by Devontae Lane.

Dante Treacy and AJ Bramah added 14 points apiece for Robert Morris, with Bramah getting seven rebounds.

David DiLeo led Central Michigan with 23 points. Lane added 13, Kevin McKay had 12 and Rob Montgomery chipped in 11 for the Chippewas, who lost their third game in a row.

Both teams shot nearly even, Robert Morris 47.5% (28 for 59) and Central Michigan 47.4 (27 for 57). The Chippewas gained a slim rebounding edge, 35-34, led by DiLeo’s eight boards.

After DiLeo gave Central Michigan a 71-70 lead with a 3-point shot at the 3:57 mark, Bramah connected on a pair of free throws to put Robert Morris back on top for good.

The Colonials’ defense stiffened in the second half after they fell behind 2 minutes into the second half.

“We always try to pride ourselves on defensive toughness,” Toole said. “We’ve got to be more willing to do little things like scrap for balls and take a charge. At time, guys haven’t always seemed to be as tough as they need to be.”

Robert Morris, on a pair of dunks by Bramah, rallied to regain the lead, 55-53, with 13:42 left before Treacy’s jumper increased the margin to 57-53, capping a 20-5 run for the Colonials.

Dallas Morgan’s 3-point shot brought Central Michigan back even at 59-59, but Charles Bain answered on the other end with a 3 for Robert Morris for a 62-59 Colonials lead.

Central Michigan closed within one on several occasions after Robert Morris went in front for the final time, but the Chippewas weren’t able to come all the way back.

“Defense has always been our calling card,” Toole said. “It’s got to be our calling card. We’re not always going to be able to put 83 points up, like we did tonight.”

The first half was back and forth with Morgan’s 3-pointer with 11:46 left in the first half giving Central Michigan a 20-18 lead, and the Chippewas gained momentum to take a 41-34 halftime advantage.

Robert Morris concludes its nonconference schedule with a trip Saturday to UNLV before opening Northeast Conference play Jan. 2 at Central Connecticut State.