It looks like the tough non-conference schedule that Robert Morris played before their NEC Conference season began is paying dividends in a big way.
Andy Toole’s team was tested in a major way early on in the season, playing at the likes of North Carolina, Georgetown and Clemson. The Colonials lost all three of those games and at one point of the season sat with only a 5-9 record, but things have turned around for RMU.
Rodney Pryor scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, also a career high, leading RMU to an 87-65 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at the Charles L. Sewall Center on Thursday.
It was Pryor’s first career collegiate double-double as he is just one of several Robert Morris players to step up over the last few games.
RMU has now won four consecutive games and six of seven overall.
While just 11-10 on the season, the Colonials are now 7-2 in Northeast Conference play, tied with St. Francis (NY) for first place in the conference.
The Colonials have three players averaging double figures on the season. Pryor and Marcquise Reed lead the team averaging 14.4 points per game, while Lucky Jones is averaging 13.0 per night.
It’s been a big week for RMU, including for Toole, who recorded his 100th win Saturday against St. Francis. Toole became the quickest coach in NEC history to reach 100 wins, needing just 160 games to reach the milestone.
In that contest Jones hit a three-pointer with just 17 seconds left on the clock to give the Colonials the dramatic victory.
The Colonials have treated every game on the schedule like their biggest of the season, which has been a major part of their recent surge.
“This was the biggest game on our schedule,” Pryor said after Thursday’s win via a press release. “Now that this game is over, Saturday is our biggest game. To see us putting wins together is a good feeling, but we have to come into the gym and continue to prepare and get better.”
The Colonials will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday when they play host to Bryant, their last home game before hitting the road for a pair of contests next week.
For RMU to stay hot, Toole is looking for them to improve each game at the defensive end of the floor.
“It was an extremely efficient game for us offensively, but our defensive urgency needs to get better,” Toole said. “The biggest challenge with our guys is our mental approach. It’s the biggest hurdle. We need to stay in the proper mindset.”
If they do, this RMU team could be a very tough one to beat the rest of the way.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
