MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Northeast Conference tournament seedings are out, and Robert Morris now knows its first opponent.
The Colonials, who earned the tournament’s top-seed with a win over Saint Francis (PA) on Saturday, will face No. 8 St. Francis Brooklyn in the quarterfinals Wednesday at the UPMC Events Center. Tip-off is set for 7pm.
Both teams split the season series. Robert Morris took the first meeting, 78-52, at home on Jan. 9, while St. Francis won the latter, 78-57, in Brooklyn three weeks later. The Terriers are led by junior guard Chauncey Hawkins (14.9 ppg), and seniors Deniz Celen (11.7 ppg) and Unique McLean (11.4 ppg). The trio combined for 43 points in their win over the Colonials.
Robert Morris knocked off St. Francis Brooklyn in the 2015 NEC tournament championship, but hasn’t been back to the finals since. With games still taking place Saturday night, the official tournament bracket has not been finalized.
In other news, an RMU spokesperson confirmed with Pittsburgh Sports Now that the NEC will not have an NIT qualifier this year. Typically, the NIT bid goes to the league’s regular season champion (or the postseason runner-up if that same team wins the NEC tournament). Merrimack won the 2020 NEC regular season title, but is ineligible from any NCAA sanctioned postseason tournament during its first season in Division I.
