Robert Morris falls 90-81 after tough fight against Alabama in NCAA Tournament
After a tough fight, Robert Morris fell to Alabama 90-81 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and second-seeded Alabama pulled away late to escape 15th-seeded Robert Morris.
The Colonials gave the Crimson Tide (27-8) all they could handle and even took their first lead at 65-64 on a layup by Josh Omojafo to bring the Rocket Arena crowd to its feet.
Alabama responded behind Sears, who had seven points during an 11-2 surge that gave the Crimson Tide some breathing room against the Horizon League champions. Robert Morris (26-9) came in as a 22-1/2 point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, yet spent most of the afternoon threatening to author the first true bracket-buster of the tournament after a relatively quiet opening day on Thursday.
Instead, the Crimson Tide gathered themselves to advance. Alabama will face either Saint Mary's or Vanderbilt in the second round on Sunday.
Cleveland native Amarion Dickerson led the Colonials with 25 points, including a spectacular sequence in the second half in which the 6-foot-7 junior put together a series of athletic buckets that helped erase a 10-point deficit.
How serious did it get? Alabama forward Grant Nelson, who was a game-time decision due to a knee injury, made his first appearance midway through the second half in hopes of finally putting the Colonials away.
Nelson eventually did just that, throwing down a two-handed dunk with just over two minutes left that pushed Alabama's lead back to double digits. Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi had a season-high 17 points on 8-for-8 shooting, most of them dunks.
Fans watch Colonials in first NCAA Tournament game since 2015
The doors opened at UPMC Events Center at noon, less than an hour before tip-off. The Colonial faithful were true believers in their team pulling off a major upset.
"Honestly, the atmosphere here is awesome. I've been really rooting for them. The guys have been awesome this year. Our women's team did really good, too. I get to see all the excitement on campus," said RMU employee and alumna Ryann Burick.
The fans believed they could get the job done in Cleveland in front of a strong showing of fans who made the short trip.
"I love an underdog story, high seed and everything. I know a lot of people — even on all the sports channels — are like 'they're going to wipe us.' I don't know, I think our boys have a good chance," Burick said.
RMU came close but couldn't overcome the Crimson Tide. But there's still a lot of faith in head coach Andy Toole and his squad.
"Very well deserved in my opinion. I'm excited for him and his staff to kind of be on this platform again and get back to the big dance. I think we want nothing but the best for this team, and it's fun to see how Pittsburgh has really rallied behind him," said RMU financial aid assistant director Sarah Hurley.
The hope for victory and the heartbreak of defeat are all part of why college hoops fans love this time of year.
Students bus to Cleveland to watch the game
Friday morning, some students boarded a bus to go watch the game at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, which is only a few hours from Pittsburgh. A strong contingent of RMU fans was expected. Their ticket allotment sold out on Monday.
For some of the students, the early wake-up call was no match for them.
"Oh, I've been up since 5 in the morning," RMU sophomore Gianna Canova said.
Canova and Julia Klonowski were part of a group riding to the game. It was them and over a hundred of their fellow students.
"I've been really wanting to go because I've never seen a basketball game," Klonowski said.
Earlier Friday morning, RMU's band and cheer squads made the trip to Cleveland.
"It's a whole new generation of people getting a chance to do this," said Marty Galosi, RMU's deputy athletic director and chief of staff.
The students wouldn't have been able to go without some help.
"We had a generous RMU alum who purchased some tickets and t-shirts and buses to send our students to go have a memorable experience," said RMU chief experience officer John Locke.
They were hoping the "memorable experience" would end with an upset win.
"I remember the game versus [University of Kentucky] whenever we beat them in 2013," Canova said. "I really hope we get that same feeling tonight."
