Moon Township, Pa. - Feb. 10, 2009 - Robert Morris is on such a huge roll in the Northeast Conference that the Colonials could be about to rock.

In fact, the Colonials, 11-1 in the NEC, could clinch a second consecutive regular-season championship this weekend.

Oh, a bunch of stuff would have to happen in their favor for that to happen so quickly. Still, another two wins this weekend at home against Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac and a couple of improbable losses by second-place Mount St. Mary's and ...

Right, we're getting way ahead of ourselves here.

After all, the Colonials were riding pretty high last season when Sacred Heart entered the Sewall Center Jan. 13, took apart Robert Morris in the second half of a televised game and exited - along with 2,087 fans - with the Colonials' five-game winning streak in its equipment bags.

The Colonials responded to that public spanking by winning their next 14 games, so all certainly was not lost that afternoon.

"After the game, we had a long talk as a team and we decided we had to change the way we act and take this really seriously and improve every day in practice,'' junior forward Dallas Green said.

Robert Morris gave the Pioneers a measure of payback this season.

On Jan. 10 at Sacred Heart, the Colonials, who had a 15-point lead midway through the first half, fell behind in the second half and trailed, 61-50, with only 3:36 left. However, they scored the final 11 points in regulation, then beat the Pioneers, 72-70, on senior Jeremy Chappell's jumper with three seconds remaining in overtime.

That win capped a sweep of a three-game trip and served notice that this could indeed be another special season for the Colonials.

Sacred Heart hasn't faltered much since that loss. The Pioneers have won five of their past six games to build an 8-5 NEC record, good for third place.

"They're playing very good basketball right now,'' Rice said. "They're one of the top three teams in the league. There's not much difference between us and them. Maybe we have a couple more players off the bench, but they have a very talented starting five.''

Sacred Heart has received much help from its "4-H Club'' - team scoring leaders Joey Henley (15 points per game), Chauncey Hardy (11.4), Ryon Howard (10.7) and Corey Hassan (10.3).

"Henley and Howard are a handful (in the middle),'' RMU coach Mike Rice said, finding a fifth "H'' to add to the collection.

Henley, whose career has been interrupted by injuries, is enjoying his sixth year at Sacred Heart. The rugged inside standout has averaged 18.6 points and 8.2 rebounds - while shooting 65 percent from the field - over his past 10 games.

"Anytime you have somebody who's spent six years in college and is that physically gifted, he's going to be more mature and understand,'' Rice said. "That's an advantage.''

Hassan has been especially impressive recently. The junior guard has 70 points in his past four games, including a total of 45 points in two games last week that netted him the NEC's Player of the Week award.
Hassan lit up Long Island last Saturday, hitting 7-of-9 from three-point range and finishing with a career-high 25 points while playing just 26 minutes.

"I had a good rhythm going and my shots were smooth and fluid,'' Hassan told the Connecticut Post. "After I hit my first three-pointer, I knew I was going to do good.''

"(Corey) is feeling really good,'' Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike said. "Things are snowballing for him now.''

"I am definitely gaining confidence and playing better,'' Hassan said.

Hassan's long-range accuracy helped the Pioneers make 16-of-23 shots from beyond the arc in their 101-72 rout of the Blackbirds, in which Sacred Heart had 30 assists on their 39 field goals.

"We'll be hard to guard if we are committed to finding the open man,'' Bike said.

The same day Sacred Heart put the Blackbirds in that 29-point pie, Robert Morris once again used suffocating defense to crush Central Connecticut State 64-44 - the Colonials 15th consecutive NEC road win.

"Needless to say, we were outclassed and outhustled,'' CCSU coach Howie Dickenman told the New Britain Herald.

The Blue Devils were out-everythinged during the final eight and-a-half minutes of the first half. CCSU had pulled within a point of the Colonials at 15-14 but then missed its last 11 field goal attempts of the half and went to the locker room trailing, 30-16. RMU continued its defensive pressure in the second half and won 64-44, its eighth NEC victory by a double-digit margin.

"We had a great defensive effort for a full 40 minutes,'' Rice said. "Our close-outs were great, and we continue to take care of all the details that we as a coaching staff preach during practice.''

Of special note was the job the Colonials did against CCSU's Ken Horton. The 6'6" sophomore in the three previous games scored 62 points and was 25-of-45 from the field.

But Horton, hounded primarily by Chappell, had a season-low six field goal attempts against the Colonials and finished with just four points in 34 minutes.

"It starts with Jeremy Chappell," Rice said. "If your best player doesn't buy into defending and the defensive aspect of the game, it's tough to get the other guys to follow suit. But Jeremy did a great job of keeping Horton in front of him, and his shots were contested - all of them. And whenever Jeremy needed help, it was there. Again, a total team effort on the defensive end."

Nothing new in that regard.

The Colonials, who lead the NEC in scoring defense (61.7 points per game allowed), have held their past six NEC opponents to an average of only 50.5 points per game. In their past seven games against NEC teams, the Colonials have held foes to a collective 36.4 percentage from the field. And in its past six games against NEC teams, RMU has held the opposition to 29.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

"The one thing I'm surprised about this year is the consistency and effort at the defensive end,'' Rice said. "I didn't think this team (would have) consistency of intensity and effort on the defensive end.''

Elsewhere in the NEC last Saturday, Mount St. Mary's rebounded from a 76-70 loss at LIU and won at Fairleigh Dickinson, 75-68.

"I am happy about getting the road win,'' Mountaineer coach Milan Brown said. "It showed mental toughness to get the win after a tough loss the other night.''

And Wagner, which had lost six straight to tumble perilously close to falling out of NEC tournament contention, defeated visiting Saint Francis (Pa.), 75-58.

"We got a reprieve,'' Seahawk coach Mike Deane told the Staten Island Advance.

CHARTING CHAPPELL

Chappell has moved into the top 20 among NEC career scorers. His 1,708 points rank him 18th. With 65 more points, Chappell will have 1,773 and move past LIU's Charles Jones and into 10th place on the list.
Myron Walker (1990-94) is the only Colonial currently in the top 10. Walker ranks fifth with 1,965 points.

Chappell, who leads the NEC in steals, needs only four more to become the first NEC player in history to amass at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 steals and 200 three-point field goals.

NEC NUGGETS

In its two home games last weekend, Central Connecticut State was only 2-of-25 from three-point range against Saint Francis (Pa.) and RMU ... This just doesn't compute. In Sacred Heart's blowout of Long Island, the Pioneers were 7-of-9 at the free throw line while LIU was 30-of-35 ... Monmouth is in danger of not qualifying for the NEC tourney, but the Hawks should be much improved next season. Freshman guard Will Campbell, co-Rookie of the Week in the NEC, scored 27 points against St. Francis (N.Y.) last Saturday and has scored 74 points in his past four games ... Teammate Travis Taylor, another freshman, has scored 60 points and grabbed 28 rebounds in his past four games. The Hawks entertain RMU Feb. 19 ... In its past three games, RMU is only 24-of-42 (57.1 percent) from the free throw line. However, the Colonials have shot 53.9 percent from the field in their past eight games and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc in their past seven games ... Fairleigh Dickinson currently holds the eighth - and final spot - as the NEC race nears the home stretch. But it will not be easy for the Knights, who could face RMU in the tournament opener, to hold that spot. They close with four of their five remaining NEC games on the road against CCSU (7-6), St. Francis (N.Y.), which is 6-7, Quinnipiac (6-6) and Saint Francis (Pa.), which is 2-10. The Knight's lone home NEC game is against LIU (7-5).