Robert Morris vs. Point Park men’s basketball is far from the first rivalry a casual sports fan in Pittsburgh would cite.

For example, both Pitt vs. Duquesne or Duquesne vs. Robert Morris are sports rivalries higher on the pecking order in terms of pedigree.

Furthermore, Robert Morris and Point Park had met only one previous time on the hardwood before Thursday, an 18-point Colonials win in 2020.

Thursday night at UPMC Events Center, the Colonials welcomed the Pioneers for their 2023-24 home-opener in a game that was an exhibition for Point Park.

Facing a surprisingly strong showing from the NAIA-level (River States Conference) Pioneers, Robert Morris overcame multiple second-half deficits of 10 points before securing a 66-56 win, its first of the season.

Said Colonials coach Andy Toole succinctly after the game: “We averted disaster tonight.”

Robert Morris played without starting guards Josh Corbin and Justice Williams, the latter a transfer from LSU, and Point Park was missing its leading scorer, Jo Valrie.

The Colonials trailed by as much as seven in the first half and headed into halftime facing a five-point deficit, which grew almost immediately when play resumed.

Quickly in the second half, the Colonials got down by 10 and, after chipping away slightly, trailed again by 10 at the under-16 media timeout.

T.J. Wainwright, who finished with 17 points, helped spark his team from there. He hit a jumper followed by three free throws to bring his team within five with 14 minute, 48 seconds to play.

As the midway point of the final half approached, Robert Morris had clawed to within a single basket, and with about nine minutes remaining, a Jackson Last 3-pointer gave the Colonials their first lead since the 6:21 mark of the first half.

After the Colonials took an eight-point lead, Point Park hung around and came within three, but for the final three minutes, the Pioneers had trouble making baskets and Robert Morris established its will on the offensive and defensive glass.

Overall, after ending the first half at plus-two (23-21) on the glass, the Colonials out-rebounded Point Park, 52-36.

“The rebounding certainly was really impactful for us,” Toole said. “… Eventually, we were able to kind of create some separation with getting on the glass and giving us extra opportunities. We certainly needed them.”

Markeese Hastings, a graduate transfer from Western Michigan, led the Colonials with 20 points and collected 14 rebounds.

Stephaun Walker (14 points, 16 rebounds) and Last (10 points, 10 rebounds) also contributed double-doubles.

“We’re not gonna look at moral victories,” Point Park coach Kevin Reynolds said. “We’re the smaller school playing up against a Horizon League team picked in the upper half that was a .500 club last year with a lot of good players back.

“… We can really build on some of the things we did today.”

Toole hinted that the absences of Corbin, a starter from last year who averaged 10.5 points per game, and Williams were health-related, noting only that he is hopeful that both will be available for Sunday’s contest at Towson.

As for an immediate postgame assessment Thursday, Toole found himself leaning less into his team’s resiliency and more into deficient areas of their game that need to be addressed moving forward.

“Certainly, glad to have won the game, there’s no doubt,” Toole said. “But my biggest takeaway and hope from this is that we can continue to get guys’ attention on what really matters and how important all the details of this are.”