#By RENALDO DORSETT
#Tribune Sports Reporter
#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
#CHARLES Bain and the Robert Morris Colonials are through to the semi-finals of the Northeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament after a comeback win in the opening round.
#Bain finished with 13 points in the Colonials’ 69-65 overtime win over the St Francis-Brooklyn Bulldogs in the quarter-finals Wednesday night at the North Athletic Complex in Pennsylvania.
#The sophomore forward shot 5-8 from the field, 2-4 from three-point range and added six rebounds in 33 minutes.
#Robert Morris, which is making its 11th appearance in the semi-finals of the NEC Tournament in the last 12 years, travels to New Jersey Saturday, March 9, to take on No. 2 seed Fairleigh Dickinson at Stratis Arena. Tip-off time is noon and the game can be seen live on ESPN3.
#The NEC Tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the 68-team field NCAA Tournament.
#Trailing 55-45 with 4:08 to play, the Colonials closed regulation on an 11-1 run to force overtime at 56. Robert Morris was 9-12 from the free throw line in overtime to gain control for good.
#“We had incredible efforts from a number of guys,” said Colonials head coach Andre Toole.
#“It was really an incredible comeback. Tribute to our defence in the second half, holding them to 19 points. We just didn’t give up. Our guys rallied each other and continued to stay positive, and that’s why I think things turned in our favour.”
#The Colonials have erased a double-digit deficit in eight of their last 10 games dating back to the beginning of February.
#Robert Morris has won a conference-best eight NEC Tournament championships. In the last decade, the Colonials won the NEC title in 2009, 2010 and 2015.
#Bain has increased his productivity of late and has recorded double digit scoring in his last three contests. He finished with 17 points and four rebounds in an 87-63 loss to Sacred Heart on February 28 and followed with 10 points in the regular season finale, a 69-60 win over Wagner on March 2.