MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Top-seeded Robert Morris defeated No. 2 Mount St. Mary's 48-46 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship Game on Wednesday.

Kelly Beidler (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) paced the Mount (19-13) with 12 points while Shawn Atupem (Newport News, Va./Woodside) added 11 points off the bench for the Mountaineers.

After Shawn Atupem tied the game at 46 on two free throws with 1:17 remaining, Dallas Green picked up Jeremy Chappell's loose ball and nailed a jumper from left corner to hand the Colonials a 48-46 advantage with 2.5 seconds remaining. Chappell then intercepted the inbounds pass and despite missing the free throw grabbed the rebound to seal the win and punch Robert Morris' ticket to the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Chappell fueled the Colonials (24-10) with 15 points and Ron Robinson chipped in 11 points in the winning effort.

The two teams battled back and forth throughout the contest, but Robert Morris rallied in the final four minutes to avenge NEC Tournament losses to Mount St. Mary's in the last two years at the Sewall Center.

After coming out of the locker room tied at 19, the two teams traded the advantage midway through the second half. Trailing 35-33, the Mount went on a 7-0 run to grab a 40-35 lead with 6:54 remaining.

Beidler started the run and tied the game at 35 at the 9:19 mark before Shawn Atupem hit a jumper and then hit 1 of 2 at the free throw line to give the Mountaineers a 38-35 advantage with 7:20 on the clock. Markus Mitchell (Virginia Beach, Va./Salem) increased the advantage to five points on a layup at 6:54. Robinson cut into the deficit with two free throws with 6:34, but Sam Atupem (Newport News, Va./Woodside) answered with two charity tosses at 5:18 for a 42-37 advantage.

Jimmy Lanhurst then started the Robert Morris comeback with a 3-pointer at 3:48, but Jeremy Goode (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) hit a jumper at 3:27 to restore a four-point margin with 3:27 left.

Mezie Nwigwe converted 1 of 2 at the line at 3:10 before Bateo Francisco scored on a layup at 2:42 and Chappell nailed a 3-pointer at 1:43 to give the Colonials a 46-44 lead.

Shawn Atupem tied the game at 1:17 and then the sophomore had a chance to give the Mount the advantage, but missed his shot in the lane with 35 seconds remaining and Robinson picked up the defensive rebound. With the ball in Chappell's hands at the foul line, Chappell lost the ball only to see it roll into the hands of Green. Green then knocked down the decisive basket for his first bucket of the night with 2.5 seconds remaining to hand Robert Morris the victory.

A defensive struggle in the first half ended with the two teams going into the locker room tied at 19.

Mount St. Mary's opened the game with a 6-2 run in the first four minutes of the game. After a Robinson jumper at 18:15, Beidler, Mitchell and Goode each scored in the paint for a four-point advantage.

Robert Morris came back to knot the score at 9 thanks to a 7-3 run over the next two minutes before the Mount rolled off the next six points to take its largest lead of the stanza at 15-9. Shawn Atupem started the run with a jumper at 12:55 before Beidler hit a jumper at 11:43 and Pierre Brown (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) scored on a driving touch layup at 9:03.

The Colonials answered right back with six-straight points to square the contest at 15 with 6:05 on the clock. After Francisco opened the surge with a layup, Robinson drilled a jumper at 7:07 and Gary Wallace hit a basket at the 6:05 mark.

Shawn Atupem regained the advantage for Mount St. Mary's on a layup with 3:32 left before Chappell and Langhurst connected on 4 of 4 from the foul line to give Robert Morris its first lead of the night at 19-17 with 33.6 seconds remaining. Mitchell nailed a jumper to tie the game at 19 with 4.4 seconds left.

The game marked the 12th meeting in the last four years between the Mount and the Colonials, including four-straight meetings in the league postseason. It marks the eighth time in the 12 meetings the game has been decided by five points or less. Robert Morris becomes the first team to sweep the three games in the last four campaigns after in the previous three seasons the team that swept the regular season lost in the postseason on its home court.

Mount St. Mary's was attempting to become the first NEC team to repeat as tournament champions since Rider accomplished the feat in 1993 and 1994.