Long after the last of Friday afternoon’s fans had vacated UPMC Events Center following Robert Morris’ 90-85 loss to Cornell, coach Andy Toole slowly exited the Colonials locker room, head slightly bowed, and walked across the arena floor and out of sight.

Merry Christmas, coach.

Toole, who’s in the midst of his 14th season as head of the RMU men’s basketball team, undoubtedly will try to separate his obsession with returning the Colonials to prominence from a chance to enjoy the brief holiday break with family and friends.

“We’ve got a long way to go, still,” Toole said. “We’re still not grasping the importance of every possession. We’re still not committed on the defensive side. Our effort today might have been our closest 40-minute effort to what we need, but we’ve got to keep getting better and continue to work and stay together because we’ve got to able to figure out how to be a few points better than our opponent.”

Five of Robert Morris’ nine losses so far have come by single digits, including Friday’s five-point outcome.

Chris Manon scored 20 points, and Cornell held on to beat Robert Morris in the Colonials’ final nonconference game before just 625 fans.

In seven home games thus far, Robert Morris is averaging 931 fans at 4,000-seat UPMC Events Center. Perhaps if the Colonials can go on a bit of a run into the new year, the arena’s turnstiles might be more active.

Toole is hoping for both, but first things first.

The Colonials (4-9, 0-2) resume their Horizon League schedule with a pair of road games against Milwaukee on Dec. 29 and Green Bay on Dec. 31. They’ll return to UPMC Events Center on Jan. 4 against IUPUI, the start of a stretch of four home games in 14 days.

“Again, frustrating,” Toole said of his team’s latest setback, which ended a brief two-game winning streak after Robert Morris had dropped four in a row. “We really competed hard enough to win the game. Cornell is an excellent offensive team. They just put so much pressure on you with their transition, shooting and spacing. They’re a really hard guard.”

Cornell (9-2) entered the day averaging 84.9 points. The Big Red shot a sizzling 57.1% (32 for 56) and ranked fourth in Division I in 2-point shots (63.6%).

“For a large stretch of the first half, we did a really good job,” Toole said. “Then, in the first four minutes of the second half, they went on a 13-4 run. That was really the difference in the game. We had five turnovers in that stretch but I was proud of the fight we had. It just hurts because it was there for us to try to get, and we weren’t able to take it.”

The Colonials finished with 18 turnovers.

The loss comes just two days after Robert Morris overcame an 18-point, second-half deficit on the road to beat St. Francis (Pa.), 75-73, on Justice Williams’ late 3-point shot.

The Colonials couldn’t carry the momentum into their latest contest, wilting in the final minute as Cornell won for the sixth time in seven games, the only setback an 81-70 loss at Syracuse.

After Robert Morris controlled the first half, Cornell took charge.

The Big Red opened the second half on an 8-2 run that blossomed into a 13-4 advantage, giving them a 57-52 lead. Isaiah Gray scored the first eight points of the half and put Cornell ahead, 52-50.

“They made shots. We still sometimes get a little bit affected by makes or misses versus staying consistent with the things that can help you win,” Toole said. “We got a lot of contributions from a lot of guys, but they wore us down a little bit with their pressure and pace.”

Cornell’s lead grew to 61-52 on a Keller Boothby 3-pointer before Robert Morris chipped away and, behind some success from behind the 3-point arc, climbed back in contention.

RMU made 5 of 10 from distance in the second half and finished 12 for 27 (44.4%) compared to just 6 for 23 (26.1) for Cornell.

A three-point play by Stephaun Walker put Robert Morris back in front 73-72 with 7 minutes, 56 seconds remaining, and the lead see-sawed.

Still, the Colonials were in it in the final minute, trailing 86-84 on a pair of free throws by Gray. Manon’s layup with 16 seconds to go provided a four-point margin, and the Big Red held on.

“We’ve got to have a little bit of a mindset shift in some aspects to be better and win,” Toole said. “It’s not a game of perfection, but we’ve talked about having the mindset that if I’m the guy that breaks down or I don’t do my job, this could be the difference in the game.”

Robert Morris led throughout the first half, building a 12-point advantage on a pair of free throws by Josh Corbin, giving the Colonials a 48-36 lead with 2:35 left before halftime.

But Cornell’s Jake Fiegen scored five of seven unanswered points to close out the half, and the Big Red cut the deficit to 48-43.

Gray added 17 points for Cornell. Nazir Williams (12) and AK Okereke (10) also scored in double figures for Cornell, an Ivy League member whose first loss was a 90-83 decision to George Mason.

Corbin paced Robert Morris with 22 points. Walker added 20 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds and Williams, Wednesday’s hero for the Colonials, finished with 15 points after getting 20 against St. Francis.

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