CLEVELAND — The Cleveland kid came through. It was almost enough.

Cleveland native Amarion Dickerson led Robert Morris to a near-upset of No. 2 Alabama with a do-everything performance of 25 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. But Alabama finished the game on a 26-16 run en route to a 90-81 victory after Robert Morris took a late lead, making the result seem less competitive than the game was.

Alabama was led by graduate forward Clifford Omoruyi, who had 15 points in the first half and 17 overall, and All-American graduate guard Mark Sears. Sears had 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, with 19 of those points and six assists in the second half.

Alabama was the heavy favorite and advances, hoping to make the Final Four for the second consecutive year. But Robert Morris certainly gave it a scare.

The Colonials hung tough with the Crimson Tide in the first half, trailing by just four at halftime. Dickerson hit a 3 in the final 30 seconds to cut Alabama's lead to three, and when Alabama coach Nate Oats called a timeout, Dickerson walked over to a sizable Robert Morris cheering contingent to pump them up.

Dickerson led the Colonials with 13 first-half points. Robert Morris trailed by just four despite allowing Alabama to shoot over 60% from the field. Alabama graduate center Omoruyi had 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting, making four dunks and three layups.

The second half was closer, with Robert Morris continually getting within two points before allowing easy Alabama layups or dunks. The Colonials finally took the lead on a Josh Omojafo layup with 7:10 to go, but Alabama immediately responded with a 6-0 run.

The Crimson Tide made their free throws late to move on to the second round.

It was over when

Sears scored five consecutive points near the four-minute mark, stretching a four-point Alabama lead to nine. He scored 12 points in the final five minutes, 10 coming on free throws, helping Alabama stave off the upset bid.

Player of the game

Dickerson was the clear choice. Dickerson, a 6-foot-7 junior who went to Rhodes High School in Cleveland, nearly gave the Colonials what would have been a famous win. He swatted several shots into the arena's fans, as if pretending to be former Cleveland superstar LeBron James.

Up next

The offseason looms for Andy Toole and Co. Several players will face decisions over whether to return to the Colonials or test the transfer portal.

But they'll always remember the sound of the Rocket Arena crowd cheering "Robert Morris!" rooting on the upset bid that almost was.

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