Emmitsburg, Md. - Shawn Atupem's layup with 7.9 seconds to play helped Mount St. Mary's close the game on an 8-1 run in the final 3:28 of action en route to a 63-61 victory over the Robert Morris University men's basketball team Saturday night at Knott Arena in the 2009-10 regular-season final for both teams.
RMU slipped to 20-11 overall and 15-3 in the Northeast Conference with the defeat and, coupled with Quinnipiac's 74-65 victory at Fairleigh Dickinson, will share the 2010 NEC regular-season title with the Bobcats. Quinnipiac earns the No. 1 seed in the 2010 NEC Tournament, while the Colonials will enter the tourney as the No. 2 seed.
Leading, 60-53, after a layup from senior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, Md. / Globe Institute of Technology), Robert Morris was held to one point in the final three minutes of action, which came on a free throw by senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, Md. / High Point) at the 1:44 mark of the second half.
Kelly Beidler started the decisive surge when he connected for a three-pointer with 2:56 to go that closed Mount St. Mary's within four, 60-56, and Atupem scored the final seven points of the contest to lead the Mountaineers to the win.
Atupem hit all eight of his shots from the field on the game and was 7-for-11 at the free-throw line for a game-high 23 points while also grabbing seven rebounds.
RMU held a 14-point lead in the first half, 22-8, after a layup from freshman forward Lijah Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner) and played solid defense before intermission, allowing the Mount just five field goals on 29 attempts, a shooting percentage of 17.2 percent.
Mount St. Mary's stayed within striking distance in the first half thanks to converting at the charity stripe, hitting 12 of its 15 chances.
The Colonials eventually entered the break with six-point lead, 30-24, and stretched their advantage to double digits early in the second stanza, 37-24, by scoring the first seven points after halftime.
Senior forward Dallas Green (Indianapolis, Indiana / Northwest) hit a jumper to open the scoring in the second half, while Robinson converted a pair from the charity stripe and Nwigwe buried a three-pointer.
RMU kept the Mount at bay the majority of the second half until the deciding run for the home team, while the Colonials suffered a pair of turnovers while missing a pair of shots in the final 2:18 of action.
Nwigwe's three-pointer with two seconds to play after Atupem's eventual game-winning basket fell short.
Freshman guard Karon Abraham (Paterson, N.J. / Harp Academy) led the Colonials with 12 points and also added a pair of rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Robinson finished with 10 points.
In addition to Atupem's 23 points for Mount St. Mary's, Beidler added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Robert Morris will open the 2010 NEC Tournament Thursday, March 4, by welcoming Central Connecticut State to the Charles L. Sewall Center in a quarterfinal contest that will tip at 7:00 p.m.
The Colonials will look to become the first team in league history to claim back-to-back NEC Tournament titles since Rider in 1993 and 1994.
