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LIU Brooklyn repeated in 2012, again defeating Robert Morris, which appeared in its fourth straight championship game. The Blackbirds completed a remarkable two-year run in which they posted a best-ever 32-4 mark in league play. The 2011-12 season was also a historic one with three schools (LIU, Robert Morris and Wagner) each posting 25+ wins. In one of the most memorable title games in league history , LIU Brooklyn won its third NEC men’s basketball championship with an 85-82 overtime victory over Robert Morris in the 2011 title tilt. LIU finished the year with 27 victories, tying the NEC single-season record. Robert Morris became the first NEC team to repeat as champion since Rider in 1993 and 1994 with a 52-50 win over Quinnipiac before a championship record crowd at the TD Bank Sports Center. It was the seventh conference title for the Colonials, who nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history a week later. Seeded 15th, Robert Morris led #2 Villanova for most of the game before falling in overtime, 73-70, in Providence, RI. Robert Morris used a late bucket to win its sixth NEC championship in 2009 with a 48-46 win over the Mount. Seeded fourth, Mount St. Mary’s claimed its third NEC title in 2008, then went on to defeat Coppin State, 69-60 in the NCAA Tournament. Central Connecticut State won both the NEC regular season and tournament championship for the third time in 2007. Monmouth claimed its third conference title in six years and fourth overall with a last second victory over regular season champion Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2006 NEC Tournament finale. The Hawks then became just the second school in league history to win an NCAA Tournament game with a 71-49 win over Hampton. Fairleigh Dickinson won its fourth NEC Tournament championship in 2005 and then gave eventual NCAA Tournament runner-up Illinois all it could handle in a first round matchup. Monmouth came away with its third NEC crown in 2004 after tying with St. Francis (NY) for the NEC regular season title. Wagner captured its first-ever league championship in 2003, soon after winning its first NEC regular season trophy. CCSU wore the NEC crown for the second time in three years in 2002, capping a season that saw the Blue Devils set league records for victories (27) and league wins (19). Monmouth rallied from a 20-point second half deficit to upend regular season champion St. Francis (NY) and win the 2001 NEC Tournament at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ. Central Connecticut State capped a magnificent two year turnaround by winning the 2000 title, and then gave #2 Iowa State all it could handle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing. Mount St. Mary's captured the 1999 tournament title as Mountaineer head coach Jim Phelan registered his 800th career win before a nationwide audience. LIU Brooklyn ended a 13 year championship drought by capturing the 1997 regular season and tournament titles. The Blackbirds repeated in 1998 as regular season champions, but were upset by Fairleigh Dickinson in the tournament championship game. FDU made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988. Long Island became the first NEC team to lead the nation in scoring in 1997. In 1998, LIU's Charles Jones became just the seventh player in NCAA history to win back-to-back scoring titles. In 1995-96, the NEC sent a league record three teams to the postseason. Monmouth went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, while Marist and Mount St. Mary's went to the NIT Tournament. Ten schools have won NEC titles, led by Robert Morris with five championships. The conclusion of the 2002-03 season saw the retirement of legendary Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball coach Jim Phelan, who stepped down after a record 49 seasons as the third winningest basketball coach in NCAA history with 830 career victories. Following his 44th season, Phelan was honored with the Clair Bee/Chip Hilton award, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Rob Krimmel of St. Francis (PA) was named a third team GTE Academic All-American in 1999 and a second team Academic All-American in 2000. Wagner's Dedrick Dye was tabbed as a Verizon third team Academic All-American in 2003. After leading the league in scoring, Sacred Heart's Kibwe Trim was chosen an an ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American for the 2005-06 season.
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