Long Island University put together a game plan that made a lot of sense. The conventional wisdom says the best way to beat Robert Morris is to stop Sade Logan and Chinata Nesbit.

The thinking was sound. So was the execution.

But it still didn't work.

"The other players stepped up," Long Island coach Stephanie Gaitley said after an 86-75 defeat against Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference women's basketball championship game yesterday at Sewall Center. "The better team won today."

The Colonials (23-9), who will take a school-record 17-game win streak into their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, will learn their seed, first opponent and site and date of their game when the selection committee hands out all the bids today in a televised show on ESPN2.

"I have no problems finding flaws in our game," Robert Morris coach Sal Buscaglia said. "We know it's going to be even tougher in the NCAA tournament."

Long Island (24-8), which lost all three meetings to Robert Morris this season, threw a triangle-and-two defense on Logan, a 6-foot junior who entered as the second-leading scorer in Division I with a 25.4 average, and Nesbit, a 6-2 senior who averaged 15.6 points.

"That was by far the best team to play a triangle-and-two on us. They were face-guarding both of us," said Logan, who worked hard for her 18 points and was named to the all-tournament team. "Most of the time me and Chinata put up most of the points, but the triangle opened up opportunities for others to score. They were vital to the game."

Nesbit, voted the Most Valuable Player in the tournament, had 16 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.

"No question, Nesbit is the key to their team," Gaitley said. "She makes everyone around her better."

In addition to Logan and Nesbit, Robert Morris had four other players score in double figures -- Psyche Butler (15), who missed the past three games with a concussion; Kendra Williams (14), Angela Pace (12) and Grace Williams (12).

"We see it [triangle-and-two] all the time," Nesbit said. "We just try to open things up for everybody else to score."

After trailing early in the game, Robert Morris took control with a 9-0 run for a 26-19 lead it never relinquished. The Colonials led at intermission, 33-27, and by as many as 15 midway through the second half. The closest the Blackbirds could make it was seven points in the final minutes.

Long Island was led by Valerie Nainima's 22 points and Chelsi Johnson's 17 points and eight rebounds.

Robert Morris' victory was a team effort, led by its two stars.

"There's no way those two are going to let you down," Buscaglia said of Logan and Nesbit. "They're big-time players, and they love to play."

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NOTE -- Nesbit was the MVP of last year's NEC tournament that sent Robert Morris to the NCAA tournament for the first time. The Colonials lost to North Carolina State, 84-52, in the opening round.