Nope, not this time.

From the start, it was apparent Robert Morris wasn’t about to let it happen again. The Colonials’ worst Horizon League loss of the season — a 23-point beatdown more than a month ago at Oakland — was behind them.

It was time to return the favor, and they did Sunday at UPMC Events Center with a 24-point rout of the Golden Grizzlies.

Three RMU players — Nikolaos Chitikoudis, DeSean Goode and Ryan Prather Jr. — finished with double-doubles as Robert Morris pulled away in the second half to rock Oakland, 93-69.

Chitikoudis scored a career-high 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting with 13 rebounds and Goode and Prather added 18 points each, Goode shooting 8 for 13 and getting 12 rebounds and Prather going 6 for 10 and logging a career-high 10 assists with zero turnovers for Robert Morris (18-10, 10-7).

It was an about-face from Oakland’s 96-73 victory Jan. 4 in Rochester, Mich., when the Golden Grizzlies scored 51 first-half points. Robert Morris matched the mark in the second half this time after clinging to a 42-38 halftime lead.

“Probably our best half of the season on both sides,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “We had really great activity defensively. And our ball movement was excellent, which is something you really need against the zone that Oakland plays, with the constant pressure they put on you.”

Ta’Zir Smith added a career-high 18 points off the bench and Darius Livingston chipped in 15 for Robert Morris, which won for the fourth consecutive time and seventh time in nine games.

“Game-by-game, we’re trying to show the league and ourselves first that we’re here and that we can compete,” Chitikoudis, a North Carolina A&T transfer, said.

With three regular-season games remaining for Robert Morris, beginning Sunday at league-leading Wright State, the Colonials have moved into a third-place tie with Green Bay, 2 1/2 games behind Wright State and a half-game behind second-place Oakland (14-13, 10-6).

When they meet in Fairborn, Ohio, in a week, Wright State will attempt to avenge a 72-66 loss to Robert Morris on Feb. 4 at UPMC Events Center. Robert Morris, with a week to prepare, hopes to keep its momentum going.

“There’s a lot of ups and downs in a season. We’ve stuck with it,” Prather, the only returning RMU player from last season’s Horizon Tournament champion, said. “We’re working hard at getting that chemistry together, learning to trust one another on and off the court. Don’t get too high or too low. Chasing a championship is never easy. The coaches are doing a great job of explaining that, and I feel we are doing a great job of just listening and taking the right steps to keep fighting.”

Ziare Wells’ 19 points led Oakland, which has lost three consecutive games for the second time this season but remains in second place. Brody Robinson added 16 points and Michael Hogue finished with 11.

The Golden Grizzlies welcomed back 6-foot-8 junior Isaac Garrett, their second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, who was injured during the past two games.

Garrett, who scored 30 points in the win against Robert Morris in January, shot just 1 for 11 and scored two points in his return, though he led Oakland with seven rebounds.

“Garrett finally played again,” Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. “If you don’t play or practice for three weeks, you’re probably going to be 1 for 11.”

The only other time Oakland has lost three consecutive games this season was from Nov. 3-12 against ranked teams Michigan, Purdue and Houston. Kampe’s club has hit another slump with its latest slide.

In his 42nd season at Oakland, Kampe is the longest-tenured Division I coach at one school. He’s got Toole, who’s in his 16th season at Robert Morris, beat by a mile.

“I’ve got three years left on my contract,” Kampe said. “I’m planning on honoring those three years, and then we’ll see what happens after that.”

Among Kampe’s greatest accomplishments was during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, when No. 14 seed Oakland upset No. 3 seed Kentucky, 80-76, in a first-round game at PPG Paints Arena. It set off a wild celebration and saw Kampe celebrating with friends, fans and family in the stands.

Of course, there have been other eye-opening results in his long union with the Michigan school, 26 miles north of Detroit.

Kampe, who is ninth among active Division I coaches in career victories, has compiled a record of 729-568 (.562) at Oakland, which competed in Division II when he took over the program in 1984. Since joining Division I, Kampe’s teams are 451-380 (.543).

He took Sunday’s lopsided loss to Robert Morris in stride.

“I have a pretty good team. I just need to get this team back, get them healthy and get ready for March,” he said.

Robert Morris shot 57.6% to Oakland’s 39.39% and outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies, 40-31, behind Goode (8.8 rpg) and Chitikoudis (7.6), who are ranked as the top two rebounders in the Horizon.

The Colonials assisted 31 times on 38 field goals, their most assists in a game against a Division I opponent. The school record is 32 during a 108-51 victory over Division III Hood on Dec. 29, 2018.

Toole implied that a victory against Oakland is a bit of a measuring stick for Horizon teams, tipping his cap to Kampe’s longevity and success.

“’Kamp’ has done this forever. He’s had a ton of success,” Toole said. “I don’t know if I get inspiration from him. All the coaches that you are competing with provide (more like) motivation to try to beat them. When we first came into this league and since we’ve been in this league, Oakland has been at or near the top of the standings during the majority of that time. You’re trying to catch those guys and beat those guys as best you can.”

At 70, Kampe is 25 years Toole’s senior, but he said he’s admired the longtime Robert Morris coach’s approach to the game, adding that Toole’s teams “have always got a plan.”

So, does Toole ever wonder if he’ll follow in Kampe’s path?

“I’m not going to last as long as he has,” he said with a grin. “That’s the only guarantee you’ve got so far. ‘Kamp’ does an unbelievable job of managing teams, managing his offensive execution. The zone they play offers a lot of challenges when you go up against them, and you’ve got to be sharp and you’ve got to have your team well-prepared. We didn’t have our team well-prepared when we played them the first time. Obviously, we did a better job of it this time.”

If Kampe were to predict the future, he sees Toole’s bright path continuing to shine.

Robert Morris is heating up with its latest victory against Oakland and its coaching legend, hoping to make a run at its Horizon title defense and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Toole’s career record improved to 270-251 (.518), all at Robert Morris, where the Colonials were 26-9 a year ago.

“I’ve got a lot of admiration for Andy,” Kampe said. “I believe he has mirrored my career in that at Oakland we were Division II, went Division I, went to the Mid-Continent Conference (now Summit League) and now we’re in the Horizon. We had to make that transition. We went 50-3 in the Mid-Con and had to start all over at a little higher level in the Horizon. Andy’s teams dominated (the Northeast Conference) and then came into our conference and it took some time, but he got them to the top. Now, how do you stay there?”

Toole keeps searching for answers. Kampe believes he’ll come up with the right ones.

“We’ve always felt his teams attacked our zone better than any team,” Kampe said. “When we play them, there’s going to be a really good offense. They’re going to have a purpose in what they do. They’re not just going to come out and play like it’s a pickup game, like a lot of teams do against the zone.”

Perhaps Toole one day will find himself approaching Kampe’s stature, a fixture at Robert Morris, much like Kampe at Oakland.

And why not? The two rivals equally have become two close friends.

“He’s easy to talk to,” Kampe said. “We have intelligent conversations about the game. We have intelligent conversations about players and what’s going on and I always feel better after I talk to him. He’s a great coach with a great mind. On top of it, I have tremendous admiration for him as a person.

“He’s my kind of person.”

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