DAYTON, Ohio — Even down by six points at half and by 14 early in the second half, Robert Morris never forgot that the NCAA Tournament was supposed to be fun.

Lucky Jones scored 21 points, including a key free throw, Rodney Pryor had 20 and Marcquise Reed 19 to lead the Colonials to an 81-77 victory over North Florida on Wednesday night in the First Four.

“We made sure coming into halftime that we remembered this is a blessing to be out here, to enjoy the moment,” Pryor said with a wide grin. “Guys had their heads down and things like that, but we reiterated going out and having fun and enjoying it.”

Part of the reason they had so much fun was a second half without a turnover, plus completely stifling the high-scoring, perimeter-minded Ospreys down the stretch.

The Colonials (20-14), who won the Northeast Conference Tournament to get into the field as a 16 seed, now meet top-seeded Duke in the second round on Friday in Charlotte.

They failed to score for 4:31 of the first half, putting themselves in a hole. Down by 14 early in the second half after a pair of Beau Beech 3s, they turned the tables by shutting out North Florida for 4:44 to get back in the game.

DAYTON 56, BOISE STATE 55: Kendall Pollard scored 17 points, and the Flyers used every bit of their home-court advantage, rallying for a win over the Broncos in the First Four.

The Flyers (26-8) will play sixth-seeded Providence on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

It was the first time since 1987 that a school has played an NCAA Tournament game on its home court, an anomaly resulting from Dayton hosting the opening games. The Flyers went 16-0 at home during the regular season and have won 22 straight at UD Arena.