Moon Township, Pa. - Junior guard Gary Wallace (Montclair, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep) hit a big three-pointer with 3:34 to play and added a pair from the free-throw line with just 12 seconds remaining to help lift the Robert Morris University men's basketball team to a 73-70 win over Wagner Saturday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

The Colonials earned their second straight win and improved to 3-4 overall, including 2-0 in Northeast Conference play, while the Seahawks fell to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in the league.

In a game that featured seven ties and 21 lead changes, Wallace's three-pointer gave RMU a 68-65 edge, and 40 seconds later sophomore guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) converted a floater in the lane to push the lead to 70-65.

Michael Orock pulled Wagner back to within two, 70-68, with a three-point play thanks to a layup and free throw after a foul by senior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard).

The game was tied for the final time when Josh Thompson hit a pair from the charity stripe with 2:13 to go after a foul by Wallace.

Jones would hit the back end of a pair of free throws after a steal and a foul by Thompson, but Wagner was able to hang around thanks to solid defense.

Langhurst would miss a jumper with 33 seconds to play, and the Seahawks were able to get another chance to take the lead. Chris Martin, who led all scorers with 16 points, missed a three-pointer, but Wagner got the ball back after an offensive rebound.  

In the midst of trying to create a shot, Martin slipped, and his foot hit the sideline for a turnover with 17 seconds to play. Forced to foul, Wagner sent Wallace to the line with 12 seconds to play, and he sank both free throws.

The Seahawks still had one last shot to tie the game and send it to overtime, but Martin had his pocket picked by Wallace as time expired to help seal the victory for RMU.

The Seahawks jumped out to an early 16-6 advantage thanks to the three-pointer, as four conversions from beyond the arc, including a pair from Doug Elwell, gave Wagner the early edge.

Robert Morris used an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 17-16, which included three-pointers from freshman guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy), Wallace and senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) and a layup off an offensive rebound from sophomore forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester).

The back and forth affair continued the rest of the first half, with Nwigwe helping the Colonials send the game into halftime tied, 34-34, with a jumper at the 1:47  mark of the first stanza.

Neither team led by more than five points in the second half before RMU's final push gave the Colonials their third win in four games.

Nwigwe, Wallace and Green each scored 12 points to pace Robert Morris, with Green shooting 4-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds.

Johnson finished with a game-high seven rebounds for the Colonials and also added three assists and four steals, while Jones contributed five points, four assists and four steals.

In addition to a game-high 16 points, Martin finished with seven assists and four rebounds for the Seahawks. Murray contributed 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a 4-for-4 performance from long range, while Orock finished with 11 points and six boards.

Wagner shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field, including 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from beyond the arc, while the Colonials converted 43.9 percent (25-for-57) of their shots, including 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from downtown. 

RMU is now off for a week due to finals and will next play Saturday, Dec. 12, when it squares off with crosstown rival Duquesne at the A.J. Palumbo Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.