A seemingly comfortable lead in the standings late in the schedule offered Wright State some hope at a chance of clinching the Horizon League’s regular-season championship Sunday at home before a festive senior day crowd.
Not so fast.
Visiting Robert Morris had others ideas: sweep the Raiders and keep alive its chances for a share of first place and a No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Tournament for a second year in a row.
The Colonials did just that.
Freshman Darius Livingston scored a career-high 24 points, including 6 for 7 from 3-point range, to lead RMU to an 81-68 victory at Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio, completing a home-and-home sweep of first-place Wright State for the Colonials’ sixth consecutive victory and eighth in 10 games.
Robert Morris (19-10, 11-7), which last season won its first Horizon Tournament championship, climbed into a three-way tie with Detroit Mercy and Oakland for second place in the crowded Horizon standings, two games behind Wright State with a pair of games left in the regular season.
The Colonials are home for both, beginning Wednesday night against Detroit Mercy.
“Across the board today, our best defensive effort for 40 minutes,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said on the RMU postgame broadcast. “Still a long way to go. We know how good Wright State is.”
The Raiders rank second in the Horizon in scoring defense (73.2 ppg), just ahead of Robert Morris (73.4), but the Colonials shot 53% (44% from 3-point range) and held Wright State to 44% shooting overall and 31% (5 for 16) from behind the arc.
The Colonials also outrebounded the Raiders, 30-27, totaling 24 boards on the defensive end.
“We’ve got good guys that are excited about success, about working every day,” Toole said. “It’s something we’re continuing to build and talk about. We’re talking about things like trying to make your teammates successful in any way that you can, and the guys have really embraced and bought into that.”
Earlier in Robert Morris’ current run of success, the Colonials defeated Wright State, 72-66, in their first meeting Feb. 4 at UPMC Events Center.
“It’s huge, and our guys know it’s huge,” Toole said. “And we’ve got a huge game Wednesday night against Detroit Mercy. We need a big homecourt advantage.”
Home attendance at 4,000-seat UPMC Events Center has lagged since the facility was opened in time for the start of the 2019-20 season, when the average was a season-high 1,770.
In 14 home games this season, Robert Morris’ average attendance is 1,222.
“Come out and watch this team,” Toole said. “We really need to get as many fans and students out to these last two games as we can.”
The Colonials wrap up the regular season Saturday afternoon against Cleveland State, two days before the start of the Horizon Tournament on March 2.
Robert Morris built a 39-29 halftime lead after Ryan Prather Jr.’s off-balance jumper beat the buzzer for his only points of the first half. He finished the game with six points, well below his average of 15.3.
The Colonials maintained a comfortable margin into the second half before Wright State used an 11-2 run to close within 57-52 with 7 minutes, 14 seconds left.
Robert Morris responded with a 7-2 run to push the lead back to double digits with 4:49 to play before the Colonials pulled away down the stretch, leading by as many as 16 points late.
Livingston, the Horizon Freshman of the Week the past two times, shot 9 for 12 overall was nearly perfect from behind the arc. His last one, with Robert Morris’ comfortably in control, came in the final minute with the shot clock about to expire.
“He was fantastic,” Toole said. “Some of the shots he made, there were times where we were struggling in possessions and he was able to get it off and knock it down.”
In 23 games — all but three off the bench — the 6-foot-2 freshman from Lake Alfred (Fla.) Discovery Academy is averaging 9.8 points per game and shooting 42% overall, 39.6 (53 for 134) from 3-point range.
When Livingston was thrust into a starting role Feb. 12 after point guard Albert Vargas was injured, he’s responded by averaging 18 points and shooting 50% (19 for 38) in the past three games.
He’s also shooting 14 for 29 (48.2%) from behind the arc during that time.
“Darius has been incredible the last 2 1/2 weeks,” Toole said. “He’s gaining some confidence. His teammates have confidence in him. When he shoots the ball, I think people look at it and think, ‘That ball’s going in.’”
Nikolaos Chitikoudis added 17 points and nine rebounds, DeSean Goode finished with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Ta’Zir Smith tallied 13 for Robert Morris.
Michael Cooper led Wright State (18-11, 13-5) with 19 points. T.J. Burch added 11 and Andrea Holden chipped in 10 for the Raiders, who play their final two games on the road.
