Emmitsburg, Md. – The
Robert Morris University basketball dropped a 75-66 decision to Mount St. Mary's Saturday in the semifinals of the 2017 Northeast Conference Tournament at Knott Arena. The Colonials conclude their 2016-17 campaign with an overall record of 14-19.
Sophomore guard
Isaiah Still had given the Colonials a 64-63 lead with 2:30 to play with a layup, but Elijah Long answered on the next possession for the Mount, using a baseline drive to convert in the paint and put Mount St. Mary's on top, 65-64, with 1:56 left.
RMU looked to answer on its next possession, but senior guard
Kavon Stewart was called for an offensive foul with 1:45 to go. Junior Robinson missed a jumper for the Mount after the turnover, and freshman guard
Dachon Burke followed by getting whistled for an offensive infraction with 1:12 remaining.
Mount St. Mary's capitalized on the second offensive foul, as Long drained a three-pointer with 50 seconds left to push its lead to 68-64.
Freshman guard
Clive Allen drove the lane and got fouled by Miles Wilson with 43 seconds remaining on the clock. He hit both free throws to pull the Colonials to within 68-66, but the Mount pulled away by going 5-for-6 at the stripe in the final 41 seconds, while Junior Robinson provided a layup.
"I thought Mount played excellent tonight," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "They made big plays late and made big shots late. I'm proud of our team and the effort we showed, but we didn't guard well enough. You have to get stops. We coach our guys for this environment. Unfortunately we had too many critical breakdowns."
RMU owned a 35-31 lead at halftime behind the play of sophomore guard
Matty McConnell and Still, who combined for 23 points in the first 20 minutes of action. McConnell scored 12, while Still finished with 11.
The tilt featured eight ties and 12 lead changes, with the Mount grabbing a 56-50 advantage with 8:21 to play after a jumper from Long.
Robert Morris charged back by using a 10-2 surge to take a 60-58 lead at the 5:47 mark of the second half. Allen and McConnell were the main offensive forces, as each scored five points. McConnell had given the Colonials the advantage by coming up with a steal, then spotting up for a three-pointer and draining it.
Mount St. Mary's went back in front, 61-60, by converting at the free-throw line. Robinson hit a pair, while Long knocked down one. The back-and-forth affair at the stripe continued, as Still pushed RMU in front, 62-61, with a pair after the final media timeout.
Greg Alexander then came up big for the Mount, grabbing an offensive board off a missed free throw from Long and sticking the put back to give Mount St. Mary's a 63-62 edge.
Still and McConnell each scored 19 points to pace Robert Morris. McConnell tied a career high with 10 rebounds for his second career double-double and also notched three steals. Off the bench, Allen tied a career high with 12 points, all of which came in the second half.
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