MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa.  — Behind a powerful second-half surge, Robert Morris pulled away from Oakland to secure a 93-69 victory at the UPMC Events Center on Sunday afternoon. The Colonials utilized a dominant 51-31 advantage in the second half to improve their record to 18-10 overall and 10-7 in Horizon League play, while the Golden Grizzlies fell to 14-13 and 10-6 in conference action.
 
Nikolaos Chitikoudis spearheaded the effort with a career-high 20 points on 10-for-15 shooting and pulled down 13 rebounds. DeSean Goode posted 18 points, 12 boards, and two blocks. Ryan Prather Jr. matched Goode's scoring with 18 points and orchestrated the offense with a career-high 10 assists and zero turnovers. Ta'Zir Smith also added a career-high 18 points, connecting on four of his seven 3-point attempts.
 
RMU dished out 31 assists on its 38 field goals, which was the second-most in program history, and the 93 points tied a season-high. The Colonials had their second-best shooting day of the season, making 57.6% of their attempts and knocking down 13 3-pointers.
 
Ziare Wells paced OU with 19 points, hitting 7-of-10 from the field and swiping three steals. Brody Robinson scored 16 points and added seven assists, while Michael Houge contributed 11 points.
 
1st HALF
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw nine lead changes and six ties before reaching the under-8 media timeout. Robert Morris eventually seized momentum when Prather sparked the offense with a 3-pointer at the 7:09 mark to put the Colonials up 27-25. That bucket ignited a decisive 11-3 scoring run, allowing RMU to stretch its advantage to 35-28. The lead continued to grow, peaking at eight points following a jumper by Goode that made the score 42-34 with just 1:12 remaining in the period. However, Oakland managed to narrow the gap in the closing seconds, capped off by a Tuburu Naivalurua tip-in at the buzzer to send Robert Morris into the locker room with a 42-38 lead over the Golden Grizzlies.
 
2nd HALF
Building on the momentum from the first half, Robert Morris came out strong in the second period, extending its advantage when Chitikoudis connected on a layup at the 17:50 mark to give the Colonials their first double-figure lead of the afternoon at 48-38. After RMU pushed the lead to 11, Oakland refused to go away quietly, responding with six consecutive points to trim the deficit to 56-51 by the midway point of the half. Holding an eight-point edge with 8:35 remaining, the Colonials effectively put the game out of reach with a dominant 15-2 surge, ballooning the score to 81-60 by the under-4 media timeout. The lead eventually swelled to as many as 27 points following a Smith 3-pointer with 1:51 left on the clock.
 
UP NEXT
The Colonials will play a nationally televised contest against Wright State on Sunday, February 22, 2026. That matchup at the Nutter Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU. The Raiders (17-10, 12-4 HL), who were 102-90 winners over Cleveland State today, are in first place and have a two-game lead over Oakland and a two-and-a-half-game lead over RMU and Cleveland State, who are tied for third place.
 
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