Elder Iuzzolino wins family showdown as Robert Morris snaps skid with win over St. Vincent

The postgame hug was brief, but that doesn’t mean the love is gone. This father-son combo enjoys a bond made in hoops heaven.

That family tie was on display Sunday at UPMC Events Center as Mike Iuzzolino and the Robert Morris Colonials entertained Mike Iuzzolino and the St. Vincent Bearcats for family bragging rights.

While the outcome was never in doubt — Robert Morris rolled past Division III St. Vincent, 95-46 — there was a flood of emotions on both sides.

“I didn’t want to look at him because I just wanted him to take it all in, and I wanted to take it all in myself,” said the younger Iuzzolino, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, who transferred to St. Vincent from Division I Bryant midway through the 2022-23 schedule.

“The only time I looked at him was when we lined up to shake hands. I was a little upset because we got our butts kicked, but that’s kind of supposed to happen at these kinds of games.”

If you didn’t know it, you’d have had no idea the two were acquainted. They insisted they never met eye-to-eye until the end.

The elder Iuzzolino, who is in his eighth season on coach Andy Toole’s staff at Robert Morris and third as associate head coach, remained engaged with the flow of the game, despite his son’s presence in a contest that was anything but close.

“Mike’s a competitive dude, man. He’s not trying to lose at anything,” Toole said. “Even if it’s his own blood across the way, he’s trying to make sure that we’re defending properly, executing properly and all that stuff. I’m sure there were some moments where it was a challenge to kind of stay on task.”

Said Iuzzolino, the coach: “When the games are on, it’s our team against their team. After the game, it’s father and son.”

Young Iuzzolino was reminded of his time spent at Robert Morris, where he said he has “put up thousands upon thousands of shots” while his dad was conducting his business.

“Coming here today was just very special,” he said.

The younger Iuzzolino also spent time earlier in life hanging out at St. Vincent while his dad served as associate head coach to Bearcats coach D.P. Harris from 2008-12.

“Everything happens for a reason,” the younger Iuzzolino said. “Me being at St. Vincent now was part of God’s plan, and I’m very fortunate to be there. D.P. puts me in an unbelievable spot through just having trust in me … I’m playing, and that matters to me. The whole goal is to play overseas, and, if I don’t, I have a great education at St. Vincent.”

Iuzzolino tied Dev Ostrowski for team-high scoring honors with 15 points apiece for St. Vincent (10-1), which suffered its first loss while playing for the second time in two days.

The Bearcats on Saturday afternoon rallied from a 15-point, first-half deficit at Bethany (W.Va.) to claim an 82-79 victory.

Iuzzolino struggled to score just six points on 1-of-8 shooting against Bethany. On Sunday, however, he was 5 for 11 (2 for 4 from 3-point range), boosting his season scoring average to 11.3 points per game.

“He’s not always going to be the best player out there, but he’s going to be the best team guy all night long,” coach Iuzzolino said. “He cares about winning. You respect people who do that.”

Iuzzolino, an ex-NBA guard with the Dallas Mavericks who led Saint Francis to its only NCAA Tournament appearance in 1992, was proud of his son’s performance and remains even prouder of his body of work.

“He’s always been receptive, and I think any time you follow in your father’s footsteps, where your father’s had some success at a really high level, that puts a lot of pressure on you,” he said. “But Mike has always dealt with that pressure well. He’s worked really hard. The thing I’ve liked most is he’s a competitive kid, but he’s a humble kid. He wants to do the right thing, and he’s having some success.”

Robert Morris, behind five double-digit scorers, enjoyed a breather during an otherwise challenging schedule and ended a four-game losing streak.

Markeese Hastings and Josh Corbin led the way for RMU (3-8) with 16 points apiece. TJ Wainwright (14), Stephaun Walker (13) and Alvaro Folgueiras (11) also hit double digits for the Colonials, whose only victory against a Division I school so far is an 11-point decision against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 26.

Their other victory — by 10 points — occurred Nov. 9 against NAIA opponent Point Park.

“It’s what we’re supposed to do in games like these,” Toole said. “Some guys got some extra minutes, and some guys got fatigued. We’ve got to continue to build some consistent depth, and it’s got to be consistent effort and energy and execution, especially with the defensive formula.”

Robert Morris dominated St. Vincent on the glass, outrebounding the smaller Bearcats, 60-20. Folgueiras, a 6-4 freshman from Malaga, Spain, came off the bench to snare 15 boards for the Colonials. Walker, a 6-7 sophomore, finished with 10.

While at times play became ragged amid frequent substitutions, Toole said his players did well to stay focused throughout.

“It’s always a challenge. You’ve got to respect the game and play it the right way,” he said. “You can’t do things that are out of character. I thought those last 8-9 minutes were valuable minutes, important minutes for some of our other guys. It’s another opportunity to earn trust with your coaches and teammates. Those minutes might be a springboard for some improved play as we get into January and February.”

Robert Morris moves on for a game Wednesday night at former Northeast Conference rival Saint Francis before returning home Friday to play Cornell in a 2 p.m. matinee.

St. Vincent heads to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the two-day Cruzin Classic against Division III Simpson (Calif.) on Wednesday and NAIA Benedictine (Ill.) on Thursday.

The tournament is being held at NAIA St. Thomas, where Harris coached two seasons during his 20-year career before returning to St. Vincent in 2022 for a second stint.