Moon Township, Pa. (March 9, 2008)--Jeremy Goode scored 23 points to lead fourth-seeded Mount St. Mary's to an 83-65 win at top-seed Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference semifinals. With the victory, the Mount advances to the Northeast Conference Championship for the third time in school history.
Leading 44-40 with 16:37 remaining, the Mount (17-14) went on a 9-1 run to take a 53-41 advantage with 12:28 on the clock. The Mount was able to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way, stretching the margin to 72-53 after a pair of Kelly Beidler free throws with 2:51 on the clock. The Mount hit nine free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Goode was 6-for-8 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line for his game-high 23 points. Beidler came off the bench with 15 points and six boards while Jean Cajou added 13 points off the bench as well. Sophomore Will Holland had 11 points and three steals in the victory for the Mount. Jeremy Chappell scored 20 points to pace Robert Morris while A.J. Jackson added 16 in the loss. The loss snapped a 14-game win streak for the Colonials (26-7).
The Mount shot 54.3 percent from the floor in the game while holding the Colonials to 40.4 percent shooting.
The Mount has won seven of its past eight games to advance to the NEC finals for the first time since 1999. The Mount is 2-0 all-time in NEC Championship games, winning the title in 1995 and 1999.
The Mount will play at the winner of tonight's Sacred Heart vs. Wagner game in the NEC Championship on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m.
Mount St. Mary's Head Coach Milan Brown: "Our guys were really focused on what we were trying to do both offensively and defensively. We played with a sense of urgency. Our goal was not to win tonight, but to get to Wednesday and have a chance to win then. We talked about being up early and being able to sustain our energy and focus on the offensive and defensive end."
Courtesy: Mount St. Mary's Sports Information
