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Staten Island, NY - No. 3 Robert Morris used a 10-1 run to open the second half en route to building an eight-point lead it would not relinquish, defeating No. 2 Wagner 71-64 in the semifinals of the 2012 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament. In defeat, the Seahawks fall to 25-6 and will now wait until next Sunday to learn its postseason fate while the Colonials improve to 24-9 in moving the NEC Championship Game.

A physical contest that featured a combined 59 fouls and 80 free throws, Wagner shot an uncharacteristic 67.5 percent (27-40) from the line. Additionally, the Seahawks were outrebounded 46-33, including 22-13 on the offensive end, and could not get into an offensive rhythm, shooting a paltry 34.8 percent (16-46), including 31.3 percent (5-16) from long range. Despite all those negatives, the Green & White trailed by just three with 1:00 to play following senior Tyler Murray's (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) third triple of the game. On the next defensive possession, Velton Jones took 30 seconds off the clock before drawing a foul and sinking the three ensuing free throw while for all intents and purposes quelling any chance of a Wagner comeback.

Lost amid the disappointing setback was the fact that the Seahawks set school-records for wins (25), road victories (13) and longest road winning streak (10) while defeating #15 Pitt 59-54 back on December 23 for the program's first victory over a Nationally Ranked team since the 1978-1979 season. Murray, who earned All-NEC accolades and was the main catalyst for helping the Green & White improve its win total from five to 25 in just two seasons, almost guided Wagner back from a nine-point second half deficit, scoring eight of his 15 points over the final 2:52.

In the first half, RMU opened the scoring with a Russell Johnson three pointer only to see the Seahawks go on a 14-3 run in opening up a 14-6 lead with 11:52 remaining. Jones stopped the bleeding with a three-point play, cutting the deficit to five as the teams would play the free throw game over the next six and a half minutes with the Green & White scoring their next 12 points from the line (14-straight from 11:52-5:00) while seeing their advantage fluxuate between a five-point range. The Colonials, meanwhile made good nine free throws following Jones' three-point play, and trailed by two following a pair of Mike McFadden freebies with 5:21 to play in the first.

Wagner pushed the lead back out to six only to have RMU close the half on a 7-3 spurt to keep the deficit at, 31-29, after one half of play. The Colonials shot a chilly 23.5 percent (8-34) from the floor, but the Seahawks were not much better at 35.0 percent (7-20).

After halftime, Robert Morris hit on its first three field goal attempts while Wagner misfired on its first five, as the Colonials used their aforementioned 10-1 run to build up a 40-32 lead following with 15:55 remaining.

The Seahawks immediately responded with an 8-3 run over the next 3:48. Murray got things rolling with a three pointer before junior Josh Thompson (Richland, NJ / St. Augustine Prep) split a pair from the line. After Velton Jones answered with a long three pointer, Thompson tipped in a miss with an acrobatic play before freshman Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) sank a pair from the line, making it a three-point game at 43-40 with 12:07 to play.

The Green & White would squander a pair opportunities to tie the game on each of their next two trips on the offensive end, before Velton Jones answered to again make it a two-possession game, sparking a 6-2 spurt that made it a 49-42 game with 8:54 to play.

The lead would grow to nine at 59-50 with just over three minutes to play on a Lucky Jones layup before Wagner made one final push, trimming the deficit to three with a minute to play, thanks to eight points from Murray. Unfortunately, RMU converted six-of-seven from the line en route to its fourth-straight appearance in the NEC Title Game to be played on Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm.

The three All-NEC players did not disappoint on the day. Rivers, a Second Team choice, scored a team-best 18 points, highlighted by 11-of-12 shooting from the line, to go along with four assists while Murray, a Second Team selection, added 15 points, leading the way for the Seahawks. First Team pick Velton Jones paced three-double-figure scorers for the Colonials with 25 points, on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 14-of-16 from the line.

Rounding out the double-figure scorers for the Green & White was junior Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / CC of San Francisco), who notched 11 points with a team-best six rebounds.

The contest marked the final NEC appearance for Murray and fellow seniors Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ / Apex Academies) and Ryan Schrotenboer (Fort Myers, FL / Bishop Verot).