Staten Island, N.Y. - Justin Drummond's putback off an offensive rebound with 22 seconds to play proved to be the difference as the Robert Morris University men's basketball team let a double-digit lead in the second half slip away for the second straight game in falling to Wagner, 62-59, Saturday night at the Spiro Sports Center.
RMU falls to 19-10 overall on the 2008-09 campaign with the loss, including 13-3 in Northeast Conference play, while the Seahawks improved to 14-13 overall and 6-10 in league action.
The Colonials had a chance to tie the game with under 15 seconds to play thanks to poor foul shooting by Wagner, but senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest) missed a runner in the lane with four seconds to play, and junior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) tried for the putback before fouling Llewchean Radford with just 1.9 seconds left on the clock.
Radford hit the first of a pair of free throws, with time running out after he missed on the second shot.
Wagner closed the game on a 21-8 run to grab the victory, as Robert Morris owned a 51-41 lead with 9:41 remaining after a three-pointer from junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, Ohio / Willard).
The Seahawks used the three-pointer during their final surge, as Doug Elwell hit back-to-back triples, while Joey Mundweiler added another to pull Wagner within three, 54-51.
Chappell buried his fourth three-pointer of the game to push the Colonials to a 57-51 advantage, but Mundweiler answered Chappell's three-pointer with one of his own to again make it a one possession game, 57-54.
Radford would help Wagner close to within 57-56 by hitting a pair of free throws, and his layup after a turnover by junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology) gave the Seahawks their first lead since early in the game, 58-57, with 4:07 to play.
Neither team was able to score for the next minute and-a-half until Green drew a foul with 2:26 remaining and hit a pair at the charity stripe to push RMU back in front, 59-58.
The score remained that way until senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) fouled Jamal Smith with just 25 ticks left on the second-half clock, which marked the ninth team foul for the Colonials. Smith missed the front end of the one-on-one, but Drummond grabbed the offensive board and banked a shot off the glass for the eventual game-winner.
Chappell scored a game-high 19 points and added six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals but struggled shooting the ball, converting just six of his 18 attempts from the field. Langhurst added 12 for the Colonials.
Wagner was paced by Mundweiler, who scored 17, while Radford finished with 12 points. Smith finished with seven points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Robert Morris will close out its three-game road trip Thursday, Feb. 26, when it visits Loretto, Pa., for a 7:00 p.m. tilt against in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) at DeGol Arena.
