The stage was set for a showdown between in-state rivals as Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA) would clash for the outright lead in the Northeast Conference standings.

But the game lost a bit of its luster before the two teams faced off when Robert Morris was dominated by last-place Mount Saint Mary’s in a 14-point stunner. Saint Francis (PA) beat down Fairleigh Dickinson by 25, meaning if the Colonials were to win, the two teams would be tied for top position in the standings.

The Red Flash won their seventh game in a row when they took down the Colonials in a 72-69 nail biter. SFU now sits at 10-4 in the conference with a two-game lead on second place.

As for Robert Morris, they now sit at 8-6 and part of a five-way logjam for second place. The teams involved are vying for three spots for a postseason home game.

It was a strong week for Saint Francis (BKN) who defeated LIU Brooklyn and Central Connecticut, two teams chasing them in the standings. Had they dropped one or both of those games, they would not be competing for a home game and they could have found themselves towards the bottom of the playoff teams.

But the Terriers shot lights out in both games, averaging nearly 50 percent shooting from the floor in the two games. They will have a chance to continue their climb through the standings as they face the dreaded Pennsylvania road trip when they will take on Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA).

Also taking care of business in both games was Wagner, even though they did not eclipse 63 points in either contest. The Seahawks let CCSU stay in the game despite their poor shooting performance then nearly lost to the Mount. They needed a Romone Saunders layup at the buzzer to avoid the upset. But wins are wins and the Seahawks are in the thick of things for a home game.

It was a crazy week for Sacred Heart. Faced with a five-point deficit with under a minute to go against Bryant, the Pioneers stormed back, capped off by a Sean Hoehn three-point play to go ahead. They were then handled by LIU Brooklyn on the road, splitting the weekend.

There was a three-way tie for seventh place entering the week between LIU, CCSU and Bryant. The big winner of this bunch was LIU.

After falling to SFBK, the Blackbirds handled a strong Sacred Heart team, giving them a 6-8 record, distancing themselves from CCSU and Bryant by one game for the six seed.

Bryant was unable to bounce back after the devastating loss to Sacred Heart and was handed a double-digit loss by Fairleigh Dickinson. As for CCSU, they were unable to muster up enough offense to take down Wagner before falling to SFBK.

As of right now, Bryant holds the tie-breaker thanks to a win against Saint Francis (PA). But should Robert Morris claw their way back to the top of the standings, it would greatly benefit the Blue Devils who topped the Colonials last week.

After their shocking win against Robert Morris, the Mount sit just one game out of a tie for a postseason spot. The Mountaineers had won two in a row but were unable to take down Wagner.

There are intense battles throughout the standings and just four games remain for those scores to be settled.