Robert Morris jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first five and-a-half minutes of play as senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) scored six points, senior center Freddie Harris (Decatur, Ala. / Lawson State C.C.) scored four points and senior guard Derek Coleman (Dorchester, Mass. / Charlestown) hit a three-pointer. However, the Colonials would miss their next seven shots from the field while committing five turnovers as Mount St. Mary’s went on a 9-1 run to take a 15-14 advantage at the 9:15 mark of the first half. RMU briefly grabbed the lead back, 16-15, on a layup from sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, Ohio / Northwest), but the Mount answered with a jumper from Gus Durr (Pasadena, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) to give Mount St. Mary’s the lead for good, 17-16.

The lead was extended to six at halftime, 36-32, in favor of Mount St. Mary’s as senior guard Mychal Kearse (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day), the 2007 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the NEC, scored eight points before the break to pace the Mount. Junior guard Chris Vann (Woodbridge, Va. / Garfield) opened the second half scoring with a three-pointer, and Kearse followed with a jumper to give Mount St. Mary’s a 41-32 lead with 19:08 to play.

Robert Morris let the deficit fall to double digits when Jason Loughry (Odenton, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) scored a layup, and the Colonials never were able to mount a serious threat the rest of the game. Kearse finished with 19 points to lead four Mount St. Mary’s players in double figures as guard Jeremy Goode (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day) added 13 points, while Durr and Vann each finished with 12 points each.

The Colonials were paced by Jackson, who scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Coleman finished with 12 points. As a club Robert Morris shot just 35.6 percent (21-for-59), including 27.6 percent (8-for-29) in the second half, while the Mount shot 52.7 percent (29-for-55) from the field. Mount St. Mary’s also held a 40-32 edge on the backboard and scored 19 points on 15 RMU turnovers.