Brooklyn, N.Y. - Long Island closed the game on a 13-5 run and turned a five-point deficit into a 59-56 victory to snap the Robert Morris University men's basketball team's five-game winning streak Thursday night at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The defeat drops the Colonials to 10-4 overall on the 2006-07 campaign, including 2-3 in Northeast Conference play, while LIU improved to 6-9 overall and 2-2 in league action.

RMU owned a 51-46 lead with 4:26 to play after a three-pointer from senior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, Mass. / Charlestown), which capped a 15-1 Colonial run to help them climb out of a nine-point deficit. Sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) gave Robert Morris the lead, 48-46, with a three-pointer, which was followed by Coleman's trifecta. The Blackbirds closed to within 51-48 after a pair of free throws from Paska Morkeliunas, and Eugene Kotorbai knotted the score at 51 with a three-pointer from the corner with 3:25 to play. Long Island took the lead for good when Jaytornah Wisseh drove the lane uncontested to score a layup for a 53-51 edge.

Wisseh hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds remaining to give LIU a 55-51 advantage, but Chappell came back and drained a three-pointer with 17 seconds to play to pull the Colonials within one, 55-54. Tyrone Mattison was fouled on the ensuing inbounds by Coleman, who picked up his fifth infraction on the play to end his game. Mattison, who was 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line up to that point, hit a pair from the charity stripe to give Long Island a 57-54 lead with 15 seconds left.

The Colonials called timeout with 12.9 seconds remaining, and out of the timeout Chappell's three-pointer was off the mark, but junior guard Tony Lee (Charlestown, Mass. / Charlestown) grabbed the offensive board for the putback and RMU was again down one, 57-56. Aubin Scott was fouled on the inbounds by freshman guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) with 5.6 seconds remaining, and he hit both of his chances from the free-throw line to make it 59-56 in favor of the Blackbirds. RMU had one last chance, but instead of spotting up for a three-pointer Lee drove the length of the court and missed a jumper, ending the game.

In a defensive struggle that featured 45 fouls in a 40-minute game, neither club got much going in the first half as Long Island entered the break with a 23-21 edge. The Colonials shot just 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from the floor in the first half but got back in the game by converting 50 percent (13-for-26) of their shots after the break. LIU owned a nine-point edge on a pair of occasions in the second half before the Colonials made their run to take the lead but couldn't hold on.

Chappell led all scorers in the game with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and also added three assists and two steals. Coleman and senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) each added 11 points for Robert Morris, while Jackson grabbed nine rebounds. James Williams paced Long Island with 15 points but shot just 4-for-12 from the field, including 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Robert Morris, which fell to 0-3 in NEC road games, closes out a two-game swing Saturday, Jan. 13, when it travels to Teaneck, N.J., for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Notes: Senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.) had a solid game, hitting on three of his five shots from the field for seven points while grabbing a career high eight rebounds ... RMU committed 21 turnovers in the contest while Long Island had 19 ... Lee had his 11-game double-figure scoring streak snapped by finishing with just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting ... Lee did contribute three assists, two blocks and three steals ... Robert Morris received no production from its bench by being outscored, 19-0 ... The Colonials held a 39-35 edge in rebounding, including a 14-12 advantage on the offensive glass.