Robert Morris topples Sacred Heart behind A.J. Bramah's record-tying effort

Maybe Andy Toole’s almost unquenchable desire for perfection is rooted in his Ivy League education.

Or maybe it’s just as simple as wanting to prepare his Robert Morris team for tougher challenges than the one presented by Sacred Heart on Monday.

In any case, Toole was happy to get the 67-55 victory — the Colonials’ fifth in the past six games — but he knows his team must play with greater urgency and focus than it showed before a crowd of 1,572 at UPMC Events Center.

“I thought at times we had really great energy,” he said, noting Robert Morris built a 17-point lead in the first half by holding Sacred Heart scoreless in a stretch of 7 minutes, 22 seconds.

“Our energy ebbed and flowed, unfortunately, a little bit too much,” he continued. “That allowed Sacred Heart to keep making runs at us.”

Fortunately, A.J. Bramah came off the bench to tie a school record with 20 rebounds and lead Robert Morris with 18 points in less than 30 minutes. He made all nine of his shot attempts and contributed two blocks and two assists. Sayveon McEwen also wasn’t in the starting lineup, but he scored 12 points in 11:12.

“We put A.J. in the game (in the second half), and he scores five straight points and gets the next two defensive rebounds,” Toole said. “All of sudden, you could breathe for a second.

“He was everywhere tonight. Some really great blocks, some really good wall-ups.”

“I had a little luck,” Bramah said.

Toole said he never has seen a similar statistical effort by one of his players.

“Not even close,” he said. “Pretty incredible effort by him. Just that energy, that production, that play-making that we’ve come to rely on. It’s about as high a level effort as you can imagine.”

Bramah, 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, said he was eager to test himself against Sacred Heart’s 6-6, 245-pound forward E.J. Anosike, who came into the game averaging 11.3 rebounds per game.

“I knew I had to come out today and own the glass,” Bramah said. “I tried to battle with him.”

Actually, Anosike also had a double-double — his fifth in a row — by scoring a game-high 20 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.

The victory moved the Colonials (9-10, 5-1 in the Northeast Conference) within a half-game of first place in the NEC. They improved their record to 7-2 since a nonconference loss to Youngstown State on Dec. 4.

But Toole expected more from his team, especially with Sacred Heart (10-9, 3-3) playing without its second-leading scorer and assist leader. Koreem Ozier, who is a averaging 14.7 points, has been suspended by the NEC for his role in a scuffle Saturday at St. Francis (Pa.). Cameron Parker, the injured point guard, gets nearly eight assists per game.

“It’s hard if anybody loses their top guys,” Toole said. “It makes it a real challenge. With those two guys being out, we could have been a little more disruptive for longer stretches.”

“If they have their second-leading scorer and it’s 48-42 (as close as Sacred Heart got to the lead in the second half), you’re probably not feeling real comfortable, especially if you had 17-point lead.”

Toole was most upset at his team’s 17 turnovers and 5-for-21 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.

“Worst performance in conference play from an engagement standpoint, from an energy standpoint. Seventeen turnovers and so many of them careless.

“There just didn’t seem like there was a lot of urgency.”