The Robert Morris men's basketball team advanced through the first round of the Northeast Conference Basketball Tournament on Thursday, beating Monmouth 87-68. Coron Williams went an amazing 8-for-11 from behind the three-point line to lead the Colonials with 25 points. Velton Jones, meanwhile, had 12 points and 10 assists, and Lucky Jones had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Elsewhere in the tournament, No. 1 Long Island beat Sacred Heard 80-68, No. 2 Wagner beat Central Connecticut 87-77, and No. 5 Quinnipiac ousted St. Francis of New York, 80-72. That means the bracket for the upcoming semifinal round, which will take place March 4 with game times of 12:00 and 6:00 PM, will be as follows:

No. 5 Quinnipiac at No. 1 Long Island
No. 3 Robert Morris vs. No. 2 Wagner

Wagner went 15-3 in conference and last played against Robert Morris February 2 in a matchup that RMU lost, 80-69. The semifinal round will be a tough one for the Colonials.