Robert Morris locks down NEC’s 4th seed
From local and wire dispatches
Robert Morris ended the regular season Saturday with a 69-60 win over host Wagner at Spiro Sports Center.
The Colonials (16-15, 11-7 Northeastern Conference) trailed by five with 13:53 left before senior Josh Williams hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 13-0 Robert Morris surge that buried the Seahawks (13-16, 8-10).
Robert Morris held Wagner to 18.5 percent shooting in the second half.
Senior guard Matty McConnell grabbed his 500th rebound, making him the 14th Colonial to eclipse career totals of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
The Colonials open the NEC Tournament at home as the fourth seed after tying for third in the standings. Robert Morris hosts No. 5 St. Francis Brooklyn.
Wisconsin 61, Penn State 57: Brevin Pritzl scored 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting, helping No. 19 Wisconsin beat Penn State. Wisconsin (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten) held Penn State (12-17, 5-13) without a field goal for the final eight minutes of the game but managed to give the Nittany Lions plenty of shots. Penn State had the ball down 59-57 with 14 seconds left but a pass to Lamar Stevens was tipped and called off of Stevens’ hand. After a review, the ball stayed with Wisconsin. Stevens led Penn State with 22 points as the Nittany Lions shot 35 percent.
Oklahoma 92, West Virginia 80: Aaron Calixte and Jamal Bieniemy both scored season highs with 22 points as Oklahoma beat West Virginia. Jermaine Haley had a season-high 23 for West Virginia (11-18, 3-13 Big 12), which has lost six of its last seven while the Sooners (1811, 6-10) won their third of four. Oklahoma shot 58 percent in the first half to take a 42-28 lead at the break and used a 13-2 run to seal the win. The Mountaineers shot just 39 percent on the night.
Women’s games
Robert Morris 77, Wagner 57: The Colonials scored 32 points in the first quarter of a 77-57 win over Wagner, sealing the Northeast Conference regular-season title and the top seed in the NEC Tournament. Robert Morris’ (18-9, 15-1 NEC) 32-point quarter was its most to open a game and its third-best frame in program history. Nneka Ezeigbo led with 20 points as the Colonials earned a third season title in a row. They enter the NEC Tournament as the top seed for the third time in program history.
Duquesne 80, St. Bonaventure 64: The Dukes earned a fifth consecutive win, cruising by St. Bonaventure. Duquesne (17-12, 11-5 A-10) clinched the third seed for the Atlantic 10 Tournament and will host 14thseeded Rhode Island (8-20, 3-13) Tuesday. Senior Chassidy Omogrosso scored a game-high 26 points for the Dukes and matched a careerbest with six 3-pointers. The Bonnies (8-21, 5-11) lost to the Dukes for the fifth consecutive game.
Nebraska 79, Penn State 74: Penn State erased a 14point third-quarter deficit but fell short against Nebraska. Senior Teniya Page led the Lady Lions (12-17, 5-13) with a game-high 22 points after missing three games due to injury. The Huskers (14-15, 99) jumped out to a 9-2 lead then opened the second half on a 19-6 streak that kept Penn State at a distance.