CLEVELAND – Twenty-six wins, a Horizon League regular season title and tournament title coupled with a berth in the NCAA Tournament is how the Robert Morris Men's Basketball team wrapped up the 2024-25 season on Saturday afternoon. The No. 15 seed Colonials (26-9) battled No. 2 seed Alabama but came up short 90-81 at Rocket Arena.
 
Amarion Dickerson, returning to his hometown, led all scorers with 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting, adding nine rebounds, two blocks, and three steals before fouling out. Alvaro Folgueiras recorded his 14th double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Omojafo contributed 12 points, while DJ Smith added 10 points. Kam Woods nearly notched a triple-double with eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
 
AP First Team All-American Mark Sears paced Alabama with 22 points and 10 assists. Mouhamed Dioubate posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Clifford Omoruyi delivered a flawless 8-for-8 shooting performance, finishing with 17 points for the Crimson Tide (26-8), who now advance to face No. 7 seed Saint Mary's.
 
"This is the best RMU team ever assembled. What they accomplished—tying the program record for wins, winning the Horizon League regular season championship, winning the postseason tournament, and then coming in as a 15-seed and going toe-to-toe with Alabama—I think this is the greatest team in RMU history," said Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andy Toole.
 
RMU got off to a slow start, missing seven of its first eight shots and falling behind 14-4 at the 13:35 mark. However, the Colonials responded with a 7-0 run, capped by five straight points from Ryan Prather Jr., cutting the deficit to 14-11 at 12:40.
 
Alabama rebuilt a double-digit lead by the under-eight-minute timeout, as Omoruyi's layup extended the margin to 28-18. The Colonials fought back, narrowing the gap to a one-possession game three times before halftime, but a Sears free throw sent Alabama into the break with a 40-36 lead.
 
In the second half, Derrion Reid's three-pointer at 12:49 pushed Alabama's lead back to double digits at 56-46. RMU responded with a 19-8 run, culminating in an Omojafo layup that gave the Colonials their first lead of the game at 65-64 with 7:10 remaining. However, the lead was short-lived—lasting just 30 seconds—as Grant Nelson's dunk on the ensuing possession ignited a 13-3 Alabama run, putting the Crimson Tide ahead 79-68 at the 2:35 mark. RMU trimmed the deficit to eight points in the final 30 seconds thanks to a three-pointer from Smith.
 
GAME NOTES

• RMU's 81 points tied its highest mark in an NCAA Tournament game (North Florida, 2015).
• Dickerson's 25 points matched Forest Grant's record for most single-game NCAA Tournament points by an RMU player.
• Folgueiras' 10 rebounds tied the RMU NCAA Tournament record, shared by Anthony Dickens and Elijah Minnie.
• Woods' seven assists set a new RMU NCAA Tournament record.
• RMU's 26 wins tied the program record, previously set in 2008 and 2012.

 
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