Shawn Atupem made a layup with eight seconds left and finished with 23 points as Mount St. Mary's defeated visiting Robert Morris, 63-61, in a key Northeast Conference game Saturday.

Atupem, who was 8 for 8 from the field, took a pass from Kelly Beidler for the winning points as the Mountaineers (15-14, 12-6 NEC) won their 10th consecutive game. The Colonials (20-11, 15-3) lost for the second time in six games.

With the loss, the Colonials are a half-game ahead of Quinnipiac in the NEC standings. Quinnipiac played at Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday night and would tie Robert Morris for the NEC regular-season title with a victory. If that happens, it will be the first time since the 2003-04 season that two teams shared the regular-season crown.

Because Quinnipiac beat Robert Morris in the only meeting between the two this season, the Bobcats would be the top seed in the NEC tournament and would have the home-court advantage in the tournament, which starts Thursday. The Colonials will still play at home in each tournament game in which it is the higher seed. But Robert Morris' path to a second consecutive NEC title would be much tougher.

The No. 1 seed has won six of the past 10 NEC tournaments and has advanced to the title game eight times in the past 10 years. The No. 2 seed has won the title twice in that span. The winner of the NEC tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Robert Morris held a 61-58 lead with 1:44 left when Atupem took control. He scored on a dunk at 1:39 to pull the Mountaineers to within 61-60 and then tied the score on a free throw with 47 seconds to play. He missed the second attempt, but Robert Morris' Velton Jones turned the ball over to set up the winning play.

Mezie Nwigwe missed a 3-point attempt for the Colonials with two seconds left. Karon Abraham had 12 points and Rob Robinson 10 for Robert Morris.

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