Robert Morris men roll past Milwaukee for 12th victory in past 13 games

And just like that, Robert Morris is in first place in the Horizon League men’s basketball standings.

For the first time.

Ever.

Don’t tell coach Andy Toole, though. He’s not biting.

“We’ve just got to keep doing what we do,” Toole said Sunday after Robert Morris’ 72-59 victory over Milwaukee at UPMC Events Center, the surging Colonials’ sixth win in a row and 12th in their past 13 games.

Coupled with Cleveland State’s 91-86 overtime loss at Oakland, RMU (22-8, 14-5) moved a half-game ahead of the Vikings and seized the highest perch for the first time in its five-year existence in the league.

Robert Morris is contending for it first Horizon League regular-season championship with just a trip to IU Indy on Thursday left before the conference tournament gets under way March 4.

It has been a magical season thus far for Toole’s team. And while he seemingly appeared in no mood to be jovial, Toole offered his guys a tip of the hat.

“They’re a fun team to watch,” he said. “They compete hard. There’s highlight plays every game, guys that are playing the right way, playing together, playing for each other.”

And most definitely playing to win.

Alvaro Folgueiras and Kam Woods went for double-doubles to spark Robert Morris, which tied a single-season school record with its 15th home victory (15-2).

The 1982-83 ECAC Metro Conference Tournament championship team, coached by Matt Furjanic Jr., posted a perfect 15-0 mark at John Jay Center.

“It feels good,” said Woods, who flirted with a triple-double for a second game in a row. “Being able to win like we have definitely helps our spirits, so we can play comfortably. Losing makes you worry about how you’re playing and what you’re doing wrong. Now, we can be free and still be focused.”

Folgueiras finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season, and Woods had 15 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Colonials.

Woods’ finished one assist shy of Tony Lee’s program-record 12 in RMU’s 111-107 overtime loss to Seton Hall on Nov. 18, 2007, at the Hoop Group Classic in Newark, N.J.

Meanwhile, just 1 1/2 games separate the top five teams in the Horizon standings, but no matter the outcome of Robert Morris’ regular-season finale Thursday, the Colonials have secured a first-round bye in the Horizon Tournament.

“These guys are pretty understanding of scenarios and mentalities and all that stuff. They’ll be really locked in,” Toole said.

Robert Morris and third-place Youngstown State have one regular-season game remaining, while Cleveland State, along with Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne — tied for fourth — all will play two more games each before the start of the tournament.

The top four teams, including RMU, will open with quarterfinal-round home games March 6.

“It was one of the goals we’ve had, being able to host one of those quarterfinal games,” Toole said. “You’re playing at home on Thursday, and there’s a lot of positives that come with that. Hopefully, we can get a great turnout for that game to support these guys, because they deserve it.”

Amarion Dickerson added 16 points, and D.J. Smith tied Woods with 15 points for RMU.

Erik Pratt led Milwaukee (19-10, 12-6) with 13 points. Jamichael Stillwell finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers, who also lost an 81-79 decision to Robert Morris on Jan. 19 at home.

Among Milwaukee’s early nonconference successes was an 80-74 victory over Duquesne on Nov. 19 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

“It was a high-level defensive effort for us for 40 minutes,” Toole said of his team’s latest game. “(Milwaukee) having just three offensive rebounds in the second half was huge to our ability to win the game. Getting on that defensive backboard and being able to outrebound them is a tall task.”

Overall, Robert Morris held a 42-33 edge on the glass.

After Robert Morris led 28-26 at halftime, the Colonials turned up the heat in the second half and led by as many as 16 points with 1 minute, 29 seconds remaining on a dunk by Folgueiras.

Earlier, Dickerson lay tangled with an opponent after blocking his shot while play moved to the other end, where the Woods dribbled to his left and found Smith open in the corner.

His 3-pointer ignited the largest home crowd of the season, 1,611 fans at UPMC Events Center.

With the regular season rapidly winding down, the excitement has heightened on Robert Morris’ Moon campus with March Madness in sight. Just the rematch of an earlier 106-53 rout of IU Indy remains before the postseason begins.

“The Horizon League is a tough league to get wins in, as you see day-in and day-out,” Dickerson said. “(Most of) these games come down to the wire. We’ve just got to come in and play with the same mindset whether we’re playing the No. 1 team or the last-place team in the league.”

For now, Robert Morris is No. 1.