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Robert Morris junior forward A.J. Jackson scored 39 points to lead Robert Morris (13-10, 9-5) to an 89-77 Northeast Conference victory over Quinnipiac (11-12, 6-8 ) before 1,324 fans at Sewall Center. The 39 points are a Sewall Center record for a Robert Morris player.

"A.J. Jackson is so tough to guard, because not only can he post up but he also can make 3-point baskets," said Quinnipiac coach Joe DeSantis. "He is so quick and so hard to trap. He is arguably the best player in the league."

Jackson was 14 of 21 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He grabbed 11 rebounds, made four blocks, got two steals and added two assists in playing the entire game.

"A.J. was a warrior," said Robert Morris coach Mark Schmidt, who turned 43 yesterday. "He dominated."

Jackson, a Monessen graduate, earned every point in what was a physical game. Robert Morris freshman guard Jeremy Chappell was called for a technical foul with 8:03 to go, and junior point guard Derek Coleman got into a scuffle with Quinnipiac's John Winchester late in the second half.

Robert Morris' Cori Boston injured his ankle and only played 20 minutes.

"Things like that, sometimes, happen when you have teams which are competitors," Schmidt said. "You can't cross the line, but you can't back down either."

Coleman, who finished with 14 points, said he likes physical games.

"I was a little frustrated because they kept hitting me, and I told the refs, and they said to play the game," he said. "I lost my composure a little, but Tony (Lee) told me to win the game on the scoreboard."

So, he did by making two key foul shots near the end of the game. Robert Morris led 47-40 at halftime, but Quinnipiac went ahead, 66-65, with 6:57 to play.

Robert Morris got a huge steal by Colson Senat with 1:37 to go. Chappell capped the steal with a dunk. He finished with 13 points.

Robert Morris sophomore guard Tony Lee said he enjoys fighting for rebounds. Lee grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 11 points.

"Tony dominated on the boards," Schmidt said. "We were both mentally and physically tough. It was a pretty blue-collar game."

Robert Morris had 45 rebounds to 29 for Quinnipiac.

Lee said the Colonials' rebounding was huge and having Jackson was the difference. Jackson credited his teammates.

"They always get me the ball," he said. "They deserve all the credit."

DeSantis said it was a typical league game at the end of the season, where teams play hard and with a lot of emotion.

"We had too many turnovers and too much A.J. Jackson," DeSantis said.

Quinnipiac entered the game as the top free-throw shooting team in the league but made 12-of-17 foul shots to Robert Morris which was 23 of 30.

A bright spot for Quinnipiac was junior Dale Meinbresse, an Upper St. Clair graduate, who scored 13 points off the bench. Winchester paced Quinnipiac with 14 points.

"Dale hit some big 3s," DeSantis said. "He is the kind of player who can come in and be focused right away. It was good to see him play well in front of people from his hometown."

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