The marquee moments have been few since the Robert Morris men’s basketball team joined the Horizon League three years ago. The Colonials are a combined 13-34 since ending their long union with the Northeast Conference, where they won nine tournament championships, the last in 2019, their final year in the league.

Robert Morris wound up in last place with a 3-12 record on its initial voyage in the Horizon in 2020-21 and improved three spots last season with a 5-16 mark.

“We’re continually trying to earn respect in this league,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said.

The Colonials took another step forward Friday night, overcoming another scoring outburst by Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis, Division I’s leading scorer.

Kahliel Spear scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half to rally Robert Morris to an 85-77 victory at UPMC Events Center, the Colonials’ first win in seven games against the Titans.

Davis, playing before NBA scouts from the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Washington Wizards, scored 29 points to lead Detroit Mercy. He finished 10 for 21 shooting and made 9 of 11 from 3-point range.

Davis, a 6-foot-1 senior, entered the game leading the nation with a 26.4 scoring average and extended his NCAA record of double-figure scoring to 133 games.

On Jan. 4, behind Davis’ 41 points, Detroit Mercy defeated Robert Morris, 87-75, in Detroit. He has averaged 32.8 points in the Titans’ seven games against the Colonials, including a 46-point performance in Detroit Mercy’s 83-73 victory in a Horizon playoff game in February 2021.

“He’s, obviously, a really good player,” Toole said. “You can’t get discouraged or disappointed. You can’t feel like, ‘Oh, he made a shot. It’s an embarasment.’ The guy has made, you know, 550 of those in his career. If you feel like you’re the only guy he’s made a tough shot on, join the club. It’s a long, long list. You’ve got to be able to have the toughness to respond, possession by possession, and, hopefully, he doesn’t make enough of them.

“It was that kind of mentality that we had tonight. He had 29 points on 21 shots. He had a great game. But we were able to get the win, and that’s the most important thing.”

Josh Corbin added 20 points, including 6 for 12 from behind the arc, for Robert Morris (10-12, 5-6 Horizon League). Michael Green III had 13 points, Jackson Last finished with 12 and Enoch Cheeks chipped in 11 for the Colonials, who won their second game in a row after a three-game losing streak.

Spear shot 10 for 14 for Robert Morris, which connected on 30 of 57 attempts (52.6%) overall and a red-hot 18 for 27 (66.7) in the second half.

The Colonials assisted on 24 of their 30 field goals.

“Our offense has been pretty consistent of late,” Spear said. “The big reason we won today was we were all connected. You could just tell we were just feeding off each other.”

So perhaps it was a marquee victory of sorts for Robert Morris, despite Detroit Mercy (8-14, 4-7) in a down year in Davis’ final college season. The Titans have won three Horizon League tournament championships — the most recent in 2012 — and they have had 22 players drafted by NBA/ABA teams.

“We’re trying to establish ourselves as a team that can be in contention for a championship,” Toole said. “What are we doing this for if we can’t accomplish that goal? Every time we have a win like this, I think it helps inch us a little bit closer. We still have a long way to go.”

After trailing by a point at halftime, Robert Morris scored the first five of the second half to go back in front 37-33, and the Colonials didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

“It seemed like the last 12 minutes of the game, it was basically one-possession, one-possession. … Maybe a year ago or a couple of weeks ago, we might not have responded as well as we did today,” Toole said.

Detroit Mercy pulled within a point multiple times, but the Titans weren’t able to regain the advantage before Robert Morris pulled away in the closing minutes.

Gerald Liddell added 16 points, and Damezi Anderson scored 13 for Detroit Mercy, which shot 46.8%. The Titans shot 46.4% (13 for 28) from 3-point range compared to 41.9 (13 for 31) for Robert Morris.

After Robert Morris grabbed an early 10-2 lead, Davis connected on four consecutive 3-point shots during an 18-2 run to put Detroit Mercy in front, 15-12.

Following a Liddell layup, Davis swished another 3 to push the Detroit Mercy lead to 20-12.

Robert Morris fought back to keep it close. Last and Corbin hit 3-pointers during a rally that pulled the Colonials within 25-22 before Davis scored another 3-pointer to give Detroit a 28-22 advantage.

In spite of it, Robert Morris regrouped again, sparked by a pair of Corbin 3-pointers, to trail at halftime, 33-32.

The Colonials are back at UPMC Events Center on Sunday for another Horizon League rematch with Oakland, which squeezed out a 69-65 victory over Robert Morris on Jan. 12 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

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