Robert Morris Captures Second Straight Northeast Conference TitleDallas Green (6'8''-F-88) deflected a potential game-winning shot then sank two free throws with seven seconds left as Robert Morris beat Quinnipiac 52-50 on Wednesday night for its second straight Northeast Conference championship before a sellout crowd at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden, CT. Tournament MVP Karon Abraham (5'9''-G), a freshman guard, scored 16 points to lead the Colonials (23-11), and Green and Russell Johnson each added nine. Robert Morris is headed to the NCAA tournament for the seventh time. Robert Morris became the first NEC team to repeat as champion since Rider in 1993 and 1994. James Feldeine (6'4''-G-88) had 17 points for Quinnipiac (23-9) which was seeking its first conference title, but will settle for a berth in the NIT. Justin Rutty (6'7''-F), the NEC Player of the Year, added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Green got a piece of Feldeine's 3-point jumper with 10 seconds left and Robert Morris leading 50-48. His free throws gave the Colonials a four-point lead, and they held on for the win. Robert Morris held Quinnipiac to 35 percent shooting and six second-half field goals. Neither team led by more than three points in the second half, and both teams were in the bonus for the game's final 7 1/2 minutes. Robert Morris took its first lead of the second half, 39-38, with just over 9 minutes to play on a 3-pointer from the corner by Gary Wallace. Quinnipiac took it back at 46-45 on a 3-pointer by Deontay Twyman (5'11''-G-89) with 3:24 left, and back and forth it went. Velton Jones (6'0''-G)' leaner in the lane gave Robert Morris a 50-48 lead with 1:18 to play. The Colonials got the ball back after James Johnson (6'0''-G) missed a jumper at the other end. But Johnson deflected the ball off Abraham's foot with 19 seconds to play, giving Quinnipiac one more chance. The Bobcats ran Feldeine off a curl and he tried a 3-pointer over Green, who got his hands on the ball. Both teams started slowly. The Colonials hit just two of their first nine shots, and Quinnipiac was 2 for 11. Robert Morris stayed in the game by hitting four of eight shots from 3-point range, but trailed 25-23 at halftime. Robert Morris was playing in its ninth NEC Tournament title contest, but its first on the road. They are 5-0 when hosting the championship game, and 0-2 in neutral site games. Quinnipiac came in 14-0 on its home court this season, and its 23 wins are the most in school history. The Bobcats earned the top-seed in the tournament with an 87-79 win over Robert Morris on Feb. 20. Courtesy of NEC NEC Tournament Final: Robert Morris - Quinnipiac 52-50 NEC Tournament Semifinals: Quinnipiac - Long Island 83-78 Robert Morris - Mount St. Mary's 80-62 NEC All-Tournament MVP: Karon Abraham of Robert Morris NEC All-Tournament Team Jaytornah Wisseh (6'1''-G-88) of Long Island James Feldeine of Quinnipiac Justin Rutty of Quinnipiac Dallas Green of Robert Morris Karon Abraham of Robert Morris
All-NEC 1st Team James Feldeine of Quinnipiac Jeremy Goode (5'9''-G-87) of Mount St. Mary's Justin Rutty of Quinnipiac Devin Sweetney (6'6''-G/F-87) of Saint Francis (PA) Jaytornah Wisseh of Long Island All-NEC 2nd Team Sean Baptiste (6'3''-G-88) of Fairleigh Dickinson Akeem Bennett (6'3''-G/F) of St. Francis (NY) Corey Hassan (6'4''-G-87) of Sacred Heart Rob Robinson (6'8''-F-87) of Robert Morris Travis Taylor (6'8''-F-90) of Monmouth NEC All-Rookie Team Karon Abraham of Robert Morris Will Felder (6'6''-F) of Saint Francis (PA) Vladyslav Kondratyev (6'8''-F-90) of Bryant Kenny Onyechi (6'7''-F-90) of Long Island Ed Waite (6'5''-F) of Monmouth All-NEC Player of the Year: Justin Rutty of Quinnipiac All-NEC Defensive Player of the Year: Mezie Nwigwe (6'4''-G-88) of Robert Morris All-NEC Rookie of the Year: Karon Abraham of Robert Morris All-NEC Most Improved Player of the Year: Liam Potter (7'0''-F/C-86) of Sacret Heart All-NEC Coach of the Year: Tom Moore of Quinnipiac | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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