MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. ? Top-seed Robert Morris used a 17-3 run over a four-minute span late in the game, to record a 64-50 win over No. 8 seed Monmouth, in the first round of the 2008 NEC Tournament at the Sewall Center.

Robert Morris, which advances to the NEC Semifinals, improves to 26-6 overall, while Monmouth's season comes to a close at 7-24.

Monmouth jumped out to a 12-4 advantage at 14:03, when Yaniv Simpson connected on a bank shot off an inbounds play, and the Hawks held the eight-point lead at 9:19, when R.J. Rutledge's drive made the score 16-8.

The Blue and White, which lead 18-10 with 6:28 remaining in the half after Nick DelTufo's jumper, succumbed to a 7-0 spurt by the Colonials, who pulled within 18-17 with 3:36 showing.

Jeremy Chappell's three-pointer at 1:22 knotted the score at 20-20, but Rutledge answered with a corner trey of his own with 53 seconds left, to reclaim the lead for the Blue and White. Robert Morris, which was helped by a Monmouth turnover, connected on four straight free throws in the final 22 seconds to take a 24-23 edge into the break.

Monmouth battled back into the lead with 14:46 left when James Hett's three-point play put the Hawks ahead 30-28. Dutch Gaitley's free throw at 13:45 gave Monmouth a 31-30 edge, but the Colonials responded with an 8-0 run to grab a 38-31 advantage with 10:10 left.

Hett's left-handed drive, followed by a Simpson three-pointer pulled the Hawks within 43-41 with 5:47 remaining, but RMU answered by outscoring Monmouth 17-3 over the next 4:20 to corral a commanding 60-44 led with 1:27 left.

Simpson led all scorers with 18 points, while Rutledge added 12 points and five rebounds for the Hawks, who hit 31.3% from the field. Hett chipped in with seven points, seven assists and five rebounds.

RMU, which was 23-for-30 from the foul line in the game, received 15-point outings from Jimmy Langhurst and Tony Lee.