And then there were four.  The 2013 NEC Men's Basketball semifinals are set for Saturday with #2 Wagner hosting #3 LIU Brooklyn at noon followed by #5 Mount St. Mary's visiting top-seeded Robert Morris at 2:30 pm.  Both games will air live on MSG2, FCS Central and ESPN3 (WC-LIU, RMU-MSM).  The winners will meet on Tuesday at 7:00 pm on ESPN2 to determine who will go dancing and represent the NEC in the NCAA Tournament.

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Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Semifinals
Did You Know?

Team-By-Team Capsules

#1 Robert Morris (23-9, 14-4 NEC)

•  Robert Morris advanced to the NEC semifinals for the sixth straight year, and will be looking to make its fifth straight NEC title game appearance when it faces #5 Mount St. Mary’s.
•  The top-seeded Colonials knocked off #8 St. Francis Brooklyn, 75-57, in Thursday’s quarterfinals behind a game-high 20 points in 23 minutes from junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkart, IN/Elkart (Glen Oaks CC).  He hit 8-14 from the floor and 4-8 from three-point range.  Senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) added 19 points and seven boards.
• Robert Morris holds a 4-3 lead in the all-time postseason series with Mount St. Mary’s, including a 48-46 win over the Mountainners in the 2009 NEC title game.
• Robert Morris won its fourth NEC regular season title in six years and tenth overall (counting a pair of divisional titles in 1982 and 1983).  The Colonials have earned the NEC’s automatic bid to the Postseason NIT.
• The Colonials are making their tenth straight appearance in the NEC Tournament and 29th overall.
• The Colonials have won six straight games and nine of their last ten heading into the semis.
• Over the last six years, Robert Morris owns a record of 85-23 (.787) against league foes.
• Robert Morris has posted eight straight winning seasons, extending a school record.
• Robert Morris has become the first program in NEC history to post five 20-win campaigns in a six-year span.  In that time, RMU has won 140 games, the most wins by an NEC program over a six-year stretch.  It also marked the eighth 20-win campaign in school history.
• Robert Morris owns an all-time record of 34-21 (.618) in the NEC Tournament.  The 34 wins are the most in conference history and the Colonials rank second all-time behind Rider (.786) in win percentage.
• The Colonials also hold the league record with seven NEC Tournament championships.
• The Colonials are 23-6 in NEC Tournament games held in MoonTownship.
• The longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is eight, shared by Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95).  
• Robert Morris has appeared in the NEC Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, advancing to the semifinals eight times and the NEC Championship game in each of the last four years.
• Robert  Morris has won back-to-back league titles three times (1982-83, 1989-90 and 2009-10).
• The Colonials have advanced to the semifinals of the tourney six straight years and tied with Fairleigh Dickinson for most in league annals.   
• Robert Morris has won at least 10 games at the Sewall Center in each of the last eight seasons and owns a record of 92-22 (.807) at home since the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign.
• Robert Morris enters the postseason with a combined 45 games of experience in the NEC Tournament among players on the 2012-13 roster.
• Junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School) has shot 55.3 percent (21-38) from beyond the arc in six career NEC Tournament games.
 Senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic), a first team All-NEC pick, now ranks ninth on the NEC career chart with 542 assists, and is 14 shy of breaking the school record of 555 held by Forest Grant (1980-84).
• Velton Jones and Johnson have scored 1,566 and 1,172 career points, respectively.
• Robert Morris leads the NEC with 8.7 three-pointers per game, and its 279 on the year ranks second in school history.
• Anderson ranks second in the NEC in 3PFG percentage (.448) and fifth in made 3PFG (2.6/game).

#2 Wagner (19-11, 12-6 NEC)

• Wagner jumped out to a 13-point lead at the half and cruised to a 72-50 over #7 CCSU in the NEC quarterfinals on Thursday at the Spiro Center.  
• The #2 seeded Seahawks held the Blue Devils to 25.0 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded CCSU, 55-41.
• Second team All-NEC senior forward Jonathan Williams (Richmond, VA/Kennedy (CC of San Francisco)) paced Wagner with 20 points and added six boards.
• Wagner claimed the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament for the second year in a row and fifth time in program history.
• Wagner has now won 27 NEC games and 44 games overall the last two seasons.
• The Seahawks have won four straight and six-of-seven entering the semis.
• Wagner is 5-4 all-time when playing as the #2 seed,
• The Seahawks hold a 3-1 series lead over semifinal opponent LIU Brooklyn in the postseason.
• The Seahawks are now 12-12 all-time in quarterfinal games and 9-5 in NEC playoff games in Staten Island, including posting a 5-4 record in the Spiro Sports Center.
• Wagner reached the NEC semifinals a year ago as well, falling at home to Robert Morris.
• Wagner is 17-24 all-time in the NEC Tournament.
• This year is the 10th anniversary of Wagner’s lone NEC championship team in 2002-03.
• Wagner leads the NEC in field goal percentage defense (.402) and ranks second in scoring defense (66.2).
• Junior guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Avon Old Farms (CT)) is the 10th leading active scorer in the conference with 1,115 points.
• Williams leads Wagner and ranks seventh in the NEC with 15.3 ppg.  He is also sixth in FG percentage (.535) and ninth in rebounding (6.5).
• Junior forward Naofall Folahan (Benin Republic, West Africa/Wilbraham and Monson Academy) leads the NEC with 1.6 bpg.
• Junior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)), the two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year and second team All-NEC pick, ranks third in the conference with 2.3 steals per game, fourth with 5.2 assists per game and is Wagner’s third-leading scorer at 11.9 points per contest.
• Wagner sports ten players on the roster who play at least 15 minutes per game.

#3 LIU Brooklyn (18-13, 12-6 NEC)
• The two-time defending NEC champion Blackbirds took their first step on Thursday in becoming the first team to win three straight titles by rallying to beat #5 Quinnipiac, 91-83.  To do so, LIU Brooklyn, which entered the postseason as the #3 seed, will first have to win on the road at #2 Wagner after winning seven straight games at home the last three years.
• Senior guard and third team All-NEC selection C.J. Garner (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) recorded his second straight 30-point game, and helped spark a rally that saw the Blackbirds come back from nine down with under eight minutes to play.  He hit 10-20 from the field.
• LIU can tie the conference record for consecutive NEC Tournament wins with a win over Wagner in the semis.  The longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is eight, shared by Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95). 
• LIU has now posted a 44-10 record (.815) over the last three years in NEC play, the second-best
stretch in league history behind RMU’s 46-8 record (.852) from 2007-10.
• The Blackbirds started the year 0-3 in NEC play, but rebounded to win 12 of their last 15 games.
• LIU has posted a 39-4 record in its last 42 home games.
• The Blackbirds have won a combined 70 games the last three years.
• LIU has won four NEC championships in 1984, 1997, 2011 and 2012.
• The Blackbirds are 28-21 all-time in NEC play.  LIU is 16-2 as the top seed, but just 12-19 when entering as a lower seed.
• LIU has qualified for the NEC Tournament six straight years.
• The Blackbirds also knocked Quinnipiac out of the 2012 NEC Tournament, rallying for a 78-75 win in the semifinals.  The Bobcats had beaten LIU in the 2009 (quarters) and 2010 (semis) tourneys.
• Junior guard guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) is the NCAA leader with 8.5 assists per game.  He was tabbed second team all-NEC.
• Brickman broke the NEC single-season record for assists on Thursday with 263 on the year.  The former record of 260 was set by Wagner’s Andre Van Drost in 1986-87.  Brickman now holds the NEC junior (263), sophomore (249) and freshman (180) class records for helpers.
• Brickman’s 692 assists rank second on the NEC career list.
• 2012-13 NEC Player of the Year Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook), a junior forward, leads the nation with 8.4 free throws attempted per game.
• LIU is third in DI with 25.9 free throw attempts per game.  The Blackbirds have made 554 free throws this year, almost as many as their opponents have attempted (596).
• Olasewere is the second-leading active scorer in the NEC with 1,824 points and ranks first with 931 rebounds.  Those numbers rank him 12th all-time in scoring and seventh in rebounding.
• Olasewere is second all-time in LIU in scoring, just 26 behind recordholder Joe Griffin.
• Garner is averaging 20.7 points over his last nine games.
• LIU leads the NEC in scoring offense at 78.6 ppg and has tallied 91 or more points in four of its last six games.

#5 Mount St. Mary's (17-13, 11-7 NEC)

• Fifth-seeded Mount St. Mary’s won its first NEC Tournament game since 2010 with a 75-69 road win at #4 Bryant on Thursday.  The Mount overcame an eight-point second half deficit and hit 26-27 shots from the charity stripe in the game.
• Junior guard Rashad Whack (Hyattsville, MD/Bishop McNamara (George Mason)) led the Mount with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while NEC Rookie of the Year Shivaughn Wiggins (Charlotte, NC/North Mecklenberg) added 16 points in his first postseason appearance.
• Mount St. Mary’s has won eight in a row, the longest current win streak in the conference.
• At 17-13, the Mount clinched a winning record for the first time since 2009-10.  The 17 wins are the fourth most by a Mount team at the DI level.
• Mount St. Mary’s is 19-13 all-time in NEC Tournament games.  
• The Mount is is 1-1 in the opening round, 11-5 in the quarterfinals, 4-6 in the semifinals and 3-1 in the championship game.
• Mount St. Mary’s has posted a .500 or better record in seven of the past eight seasons in NEC play, and has qualified for 17 of the 22 NEC Tournaments since joining the league in 1989-90.
• The Mount owns the distinction of being the lowest (#6 in 1999) and second lowest seed (#4 in 2008) to win the NEC title.
• The Mountaineers have a 3-3 record in the NEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed.
• Since Wiggins was inserted into the starting lineup at Bryant on Jan. 14, the Mountaineers have posted an 11-4 record.  Wiggins is averaging a team-high 14.7 ppg over that stretch, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor, 58.1 percent from three-point range and 76.9 percent at the foul line.
• The Mount is averaging 77.5 points over the past 15 games, scoring 75 or more points ten times and 80 or more points six times.  Over the past seven games, the Mount is averaging 83.4 ppg.
• Four Mount players have scored 20 or more points in a game this season.  Wiggins and Whack have done it four times, junior guard Julian Norfleet (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) three times and junior guard Sam Prescott (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) once.
• Prescott scored a career and NEC single-game season-high 44 points in the Mount’s 84-70 win over Bryant on February 14.
• Head coach Jamion Christian’s 16 wins this year are the most by a Mount coach in his first season in 59 years.  Jim Phelan went 22-3 in his debut season at the Mount in 1954-55.
• Whack is second in the NEC with 2.2 spg and sixth with 2.5 three-pointers per game.

NEC TOURNAMENT TITLES AND RECORDS
 
SCHOOL                     TITLES    LAST    TOURNEY RECORD
Robert Morris                7       2010        34-21
LIU Brooklyn                 4       2012        28-21
Fairleigh Dickinson          4       2005        27-22
Monmouth                     4       2006        21-17
Mount St. Mary's             3       2008        19-13
Central Connecticut          3       2007        15-12
Wagner                       1       2003        17-24
Saint Francis U              1       1991        7-19
Quinnipiac                   0                   9-10
Sacred Heart                 0                   5-6
St. Francis Brooklyn         0                   10-25
Bryant                       --                  0-1

PAST NEC TOURNAMENT WINNERS AND MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

2012 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Robert Morris, 90-73 (Julian Boyd, LIU)
2011 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Robert Morris, 85-82 (OT) (Jamal Olasewere, LIU)
2010 -- #2 Robert Morris def. #1 Quinnipiac, 52-50 (Karon Abraham, RMU)
2009 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Mount St. Mary’s, 48-46 (Jeremy Chappell, RMU)
2008 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #3 Sacred Heart, 68-55 (Jean Cajou, MSM)
2007 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #2 Sacred Heart, 74-70 (Javier Mojica, CCSU)
2006 -- #3 Monmouth def. #1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 49-48 (Marques Alston, MU)
2005 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #6 Wagner, 58-52 (Tamien Trent, FDU)
2004 -- #1 Monmouth def. #7 Central Connecticut State, 67-55 (Blake Hamilton, MU)
2003 -- #1 Wagner def. #6 St. Francis Brooklyn, 78-61 (Jermaine Hall, WC)
2002 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #7 Quinnipiac, 78-71 (Damian Battles, CCSU)
2001 -- #2 Monmouth def. #1 St. Francis Brooklyn, 67-64 (Rahsaan Johnson, MU)
2000 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #3 Robert Morris, 63-46 (Rick Mickens, CCSU)
1999 -- #6 Mount St. Mary’s def. #4 Central Connecticut , 72-56 (Gregory Harris, MSM)
1998 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 LIU Brooklyn, 105-91 (Rahshon Turner, FDU)
1997 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Monmouth, 72-67 (Charles Jones, LIU)
1996 -- #3 Monmouth def. #4 Rider, 60-59 (Corey Albano, MU)
1995 -- #2 Mount St. Mary’s def. #1 Rider, 69-62 (Silas Cheung, MSM)
1994 -- #1 Rider def. #2 Monmouth, 62-56 (Charles Smith, RID)
1993 -- #1 Rider def. #2 Wagner, 65-64 (Darrick Suber, RID)
1992 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #7 Marist, 85-81 (Myron Walker, RMU)
1991 -- #1 St. Francis U def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 97-82 (Mike Iuzzolino, SFPA)
1990 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Monmouth, 71-66 (Alex Blackwell, MU)
1989 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 67-66 (Vaughn Luton, RMU)
1988 -- #1 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #2 Monmouth, 90-75 (Jaime Latney, FDU)
1987 -- #1 Marist def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 64-55 (OT) (Drafton Davis, MAR)
1986 -- #2 Marist def. #1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 57-56 (OT) (Rik Smits, MAR)
1985 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #4 Loyola (MD), 63-59 (Larry Hampton, FDU)
1984 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn  def. #2 Robert Morris, 87-81 (Carey Scurry, LIU)
1983 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #1N LIU Brooklyn, 79-67 (Chipper Harris, RMU)
1982 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #2N LIU Brooklyn, 85-84 (Tom Parks, RMU)