MOON TWP., Pa. – If the final two weeks of the regular season are any indication, the Saint Francis men's basketball team is in for some thrilling action when the NEC Tournament tips off next week. The latest chapter happened Saturday afternoon at Robert Morris. After 45 minutes of hard-fought basketball, the Colonials came out ahead of the Flash, 71-70. Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) finished with 30 points – just one shy of his career high – and 10 rebounds.

The Flash (15-14, 9-9) led for most of the afternoon but saw itself down, 54-50, with 2:32 to play after an Elijah Minnie layup. But Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) came back two possessions later with a three-point play. It wouldn't be the final foul call involving him. After a Robert Morris miss, Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) made the front end of two free throws to tie the score at 54.

The heroics swayed from bench to bench in the final minute. Rodney Pryor drained a three to make it 57-54 RMU with 1:03 left. On the Flash's next possession, Ollie Jackson (Dallas, Texas/Pinkston ) nailed one from the right corner to knot the score at 57. The Flash gave a couple fouls in the final seconds, and RMU's three pointer just before the buzzer was off the mark. Jackson had nine points on the day, all coming from beyond the arc.

In overtime, the Flash jumped out to a quick lead. Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter)'s fast-break layup off the tip put SFU ahead. Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) came back with a dunk to make it 61-57. Malik Harmon (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) hit a jumper in the lane to make it 63-57, and Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter)'s dunk with 3:23 left in overtime made it 65-57. Harmon finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Robert Morris (16-14, 12-6) climbed back into the game. After RMU stopped the run with a layup and Harmon hit two free throws, the Colonials scored six points in 10 seconds. Pryor hit a three to make it 67-62, and Lucky Jones' steal and three-point play brought the deficit back to a one-possession game, 67-65.

Jones' breakaway layup with 51 seconds left to try to tie the score was foiled by a Jackson foul, but was deemed intentional after a video review. Jones made one of two to make it 67-66. On the ensuing possession that resulted from the intentional foul, Jones missed a three pointer, but Marcquise Reed grabbed the offensive board. He was fouled and made both to make it 68-67 Robert Morris with 37 seconds left.

After RMU made another free throw to lead, 69-67, the Flash had the ball. As Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) drove into the lane and rose for a shot with just three seconds left, he met Jones at full speed. The ball floated into the bucket, but the call went against the Flash as a charge. RMU made two more free throws to make it a four-point lead, and those shots proved important after Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) sank a buzzer beater from beyond half court. It left the Flash just one point shy, 71-70.

The Flash stormed ahead at the start of the game, using a 10-2 run to move ahead, 16-9, on a Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, Ohio/Greenview) jumper with 10:37 left in the first. The lead swelled to double digits on an Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) bucket over a minute later, and it reached its apex at 12 on a Malik Harmon (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) three pointer with 4:15 left to make it 32-20. Robert Morris responded with six of the final seven points of the half to make it a 33-26 Saint Francis lead heading into the intermission. Drinnon had seven points and eight rebounds in the first half, finishing with eight points and 10 boards.

Harmon extended the lead back to 10 at the start of the second half with a three, but RMU had chipped away to knock the lead back to two points by the first media break. It was 40-38 with 15:29 left. The lead never extended beyond five points for either team from that point forward. Robert Morris jumped ahead with 9:23 remaining and held the lead until Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter)'s free throw with 1:23 left tied it at 54.

The Flash finished the regular season in fifth place in the NEC. That earns Saint Francis a trip to Mount St. Mary's for an NEC quarterfinal contest on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.