CORAOPOLIS, Pa. (AP) — Rashad Whack scored 26 points as Mount St. Mary’s won its ninth straight game, upending top-seeded Robert Morris 69-60 in the Northeast Conference tournament semifinals Saturday.
The Mountaineers (18-13), who are headed to their first NEC title game since 2009, last won the championship in 2008.
Whack was 7-of-10 shooting, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Sam Prescott added 15 points and seven rebounds as the Mountaineers shot 44.7 percent (21 of 47).
The Colonels (23-10) had gone to four straight title games, but their key players struggled Saturday. Velton Jones scored just nine points on 2-of-17 shooting, Coron Williams had just eight points and Russell Johnson and Lucky Jones each fouled out.
Robert Morris trailed 29-23 at halftime and 56-36 after Kevlin Parker’s jumper with 4:56 left. A 15-2 run brought the Colonels within 58-51, but they never got closer than six points.
