Robert Morris defeats Lancaster Bible to finally get in win column

When you’re 0-7, any victory is a good one.

After opening its men’s basketball schedule with seven losses, Robert Morris finally put a game in the win column Wednesday night, dominating Lancaster Bible, 99-51, in just its second game of the season at UPMC Events Center.

Lancaster Bible is an NCAA member competing in the Division III United East Conference.

“It was nice to be able to get a win,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “Our guys came out and did a nice job of having really good activity as well as sharing the basketball that led to some really simple plays and simple shots. I was glad we were able to be mature enough to do that and not complicate things.”

The outcome, which ended an 11-game losing streak dating to last season, was never in doubt as Robert Morris (1-7) built a 30-point halftime lead and appeared on its way to reaching the 100-point mark before falling just short.

Kam Farris scored 27 points in 27 minutes, and Kahliel Spear and Rasheem Dunn posted double-doubles to lead Robert Morris, which was hoping the result could provide some much-needed confidence and a bit of momentum going into a Saturday home date with Florida Gulf Coast.

“I haven’t seen a ton of Florida Gulf Coast, but we’ll dive into that (Wednesday night),” Toole said. “Tavian Dunn-Martin, a Duquesne transfer, is having a great season for them so far. TCU transfer Kevin Samuel, who’s a monster of a human being (6-11, 255), plays in the middle for them.”

Dunn-Martin, a 5-foot-8 graduate point guard, leads the Eagles in scoring (18.3 points), assists (4.3) and minutes (30.6) per game. He played one year at Akron and was at Duquesne for the past three seasons, earning Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year in 2018-19.

“I know they have some talented guys, so we’ve got to continue to address the things we need to get better at and come out and play Saturday night,” Toole said.

It will be the first of three remaining nonconference games in a row for Robert Morris, playing in its second season in the Horizon League, where the Colonials already have faced a pair of opponents, losing both in a span of three days last week at Green Bay and Milwaukee.

Farris finished 10-for-13 shooting against Lancaster Bible (4-3), including 7 of 10 from 3-point range, as Robert Morris converted 12 of 20 attempts from behind the arc and overall shot 66.1% (37 for 56). He led five Colonials scorers in double figures.

Spear added 17 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Justin Winston scored 14 points, Enoch Cheeks tallied 11 and Dunn registered 10 points and 10 assists.

“There’s a standard to the way the game needs to be played, regardless of the opponent,” Toole said. “The game a lot of times tells you what you need to do. Seeing some of those decisions that need to be made based on scenarios, you’re supposed to do that. If you’re doing something different, that’s not playing the right way. We kept it really, really simple tonight. We found shots, didn’t overcomplicate things, which in these kind of games is critical.”

Toole said he has been evaluating his team’s performances closely from the start of the year.

“For instance, at (then-No. 10) Kentucky (100-60 loss on Nov. 12), we asked the same things,” he said. “Are you doing things the way they are supposed to be done? Are you in the right position? Are you executing properly? Those are the same things we try to evaluate, regardless of the opponent.”

Robert Morris played its second consecutive game without senior forward Jaron Williams, who was nursing an ankle injury. He is averaging 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Junior forward Brandon Stone, a La Salle transfer, who began his high school career at Southmoreland, remained sidelined with an ankle injury.

Stone, who was a Class 3A second-team all-state selection in 2017 at Southmoreland, has averaged 8.8 minutes in two games so far at Robert Morris. He spent his final two high school seasons at Christ School (N.C.).

Also, Toledo transfer Mattia Acunzo, a 6-8 sophomore forward, was sidelined while in covid protocol, from where junior guard Michael Green III just returned and played 21 minutes, scoring nine points with four rebounds and four assists.

“He’s a big part of our team,” Toole said. “Not having him for the last three games was hard. Your rotations change. It’s been hard to get some soft rotations down. It’s just constantly being shuffled, and it’s hard on them to understand where their rotation will come. It’s equally as hard on the coaches on how to create the rotation.”

Toole said the victory infused some energy into the Colonials’ locker room.

“Getting a win helps in any way, shape or form,” he said. “With the number of new faces we’ve had and with some of the scheduling we’ve faced earlier in the year, it’s hard to continue to work when you’re not seeing some success. We’ve played well for stretches in games, but we haven’t played well for long enough. We haven’t been able to really get our legs under us. Hopefully, this could be the start of us moving in that direction.”

Lancaster Bible was led by Jordan Shewbridge’s 22 points, including six of the Chargers’ 10 3-pointers

It was Lancaster Bible’s second game this season against a Division I opponent. The Chargers dropped an 83-39 decision at Campbell on Nov. 30.