Hamden, Conn. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded its 2011-12 regular season Saturday afternoon by having its six-game winning streak snapped with a 73-69 setback to Quinnipiac at TD Bank Sports Center.
The Colonials slipped to 22-9 overall and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference, while the Bobcats improved to 17-12 overall and 10-8 in league play.
Despite the setback at Quinnipiac, RMU secured the third seed in the 2012 NEC Tournament thanks to a St. Francis (N.Y.) loss at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Robert Morris fell behind by 10 midway through the first half against the Bobcats and also trailed by double digits, 37-27, with 2:55 left before the break after a jumper from Ousmane Drame, but the Colonials closed the half on an 11-1 surge to knot the game at halftime, 38-38.
Freshman forward Lucky Jones (Newark, N.J. / St. Anthony) started the run with a three-point play, while sophomore forward Mike McFadden (Newark, N.J. / Technology) scored the final four points of the stanza to send the game tied into intermission.
In the second half Quinnipiac opened up a 48-42 advantage after a layup from Garvey Young with 12:32 remaining, but redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) converted a three-point play, then buried a three-pointer to tie the score, 48-48, with 11:28 to go.
The game between Robert Morris and Quinnipiac featured 11 ties and nine lead changes, and the Bobcats took a 56-52 advantage with just 6:09 to play after a layup from Ike Azotam.
However, a 6-1 spurt by the Colonials that featured a three-pointer from redshirt junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) and a three-point play from McFadden helped push the Colonials back in front, 58-57, at the 4:51 mark of the second half.
Velton Jones would give RMU a 60-59 lead with 2:29 left after hitting a pair at the free-throw line, but James Johnson pushed the Bobcats in front for good, 62-60, thanks to a three-pointer with 2:16 to play.
Johnson would bury another trifecta to help Quinnipiac open up a 65-60 advantage, but Robert Morris wouldn't go away, eventually closing to within 71-69 with just nine seconds left after a three-pointer from Velton Jones.
On the ensuing inbounds pass, Velton Jones would send James Johnson to the free-throw line after a foul with 7.6 seconds to play. Johnson missed both of his attempts at the stripe but came down with the offensive rebound after a scramble for the ball.
Johnson was immediately fouled and sealed the win with two free throws to settle the final score at 73-69 in favor of Quinnipiac.
Velton Jones led Robert Morris with 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc. He also finished 7-for-8 at the chalk and led the Colonials with four assists.
Russell Johnson added 15 points and seven boards for the Colonials.
James Johnson led Quinnipiac with 28 points, while Drame recorded a double-double thanks to 12 points and 11 caroms. Young added 11 points off the bench for the Bobcats.
Robert Morris will open the 2012 NEC Tournament Thursday, March 1, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against No. 6 seed Monmouth at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
