Staten Island, N.Y. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team earned its fourth straight trip to the Northeast Conference Tournament championship Sunday afternoon by posting a 71-64 victory over No. 2 seed Wagner at the Spiro Sports Center in the semifinals of the 2012 NEC Tournament.
The Colonials, who will face a rematch with No. 1 seed Long Island Wednesday, March 7, for the 2012 NEC Tournament title, improved to 24-9 overall on the 2011-12 campaign, while the Seahawks dipped to 25-6.
Trailing, 31-29, at the break, RMU opened the second half with an 11-1 run to take a 40-32 lead and never trailed again. Redshirt junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) began the spurt with a pair of free throws and was one of five different Colonials to score.
Included during the run was a three-pointer courtesy of sophomore guard Anthony Myers (Washington, D.C. / Charis Prep) and a three-point play from junior forward Lijah Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner) after a layup and foul by Wagner's Mario Moody.
The Seahawks cut RMU's lead to 40-36 thanks to a three-pointer from Tyler Murray and a free throw from Josh Thompson, but Jones answered with his own trifecta to give Robert Morris a 43-36 advantage with 13:27 to play.
Moody would help Wagner close within 43-40 after a pair of free throws, but each time the Seahawks seemed to pull close the Colonials would have an answer. Jones contributed a layup and a tip-in from redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) again gave RMU a seven-point lead, 47-40.
A layup from freshman forward Lucky Jones (Newark, N.J. / St. Anthony) with 3:13 remaining would give Robert Morris its biggest advantage of the game, 59-50, but a three-pointer from Murray and a layup by Latif Rivers quickly helped Wagner close to within 59-55 less than a minute later.
RMU was able to seal the victory at the free-throw line, converting 12-of-15 chances at the chalk in the final 1:57 of action.
Despite the free throws, the Seahawks made it a one-possession game with 1:03 remaining when a Murray three-pointer trimmed the Robert Morris lead to 65-62.
However, Velton Jones drew a foul by Wagner's Kenneth Ortiz with 29.7 seconds to go on a three-point attempt. Velton Jones would hit all three of his opportunities to clinch the victory.
Velton Jones paced RMU with a game-high 25 points, converting five of his 10 shots from the field while going 14-for-16 at the stripe. Johnson added 12 points and eight rebounds, while redshirt sophomore guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, Va. / Christchurch School) contributed 11 points.
Wagner was led by Rivers, who finished with 18 points. Murray added 15 and Jonathan Williams supplied 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Robert Morris is the first team to make four straight appearances in the NEC Tournament title game since former member Rider accomplished the feat from 1993 to 1996.
The Colonials will take on the Blackbirds for the 2012 title at the Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Wednesday in a 7:00 p.m. tip in a game will be televised live on ESPN2.
Notes: RMU shot 34.8 percent (16-for-46) from the field, while Wagner converted just 32.1 percent (18-for-56) of its shots from the floor ... The two teams combined to take 80 free-throw attempts ... Robert Morris finished 30-for-40 (75 percent) at the chalk, while Wagner converted 27 of its 40 (67.5 percent) chances ... The 14 free throws for Velton Jones pushed his career total to 382, just five shy of establishing a new career record in the category ... RMU dominated the glass, posting a 46-33 edge in rebounding, including a 22-13 advantage in offensive rebounds ... Thompson finished with eight offensive boards and tied for game-high honors in caroms with nine while also supplying five points and three blocks ... Lucky Jones also added nine rebounds, nine points and two steals.
