Raleigh, N.C. - The Robert Morris University women's basketball team suffered an, 84-52, setback to NC State in their NCAA Tournament debut. The Colonials fell to 24-8 on the season after losing at the RBC Center Sunday afternoon in the Fresno Regional of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack improved to 24-9 on the season.
"We came into this tournament with a great record and we had defeated some good teams," said Buscaglia. "It was the ultimate challenge. Any team that would have come here would have faced the same challenge, playing a team in front of their fans."
NC State scored the first 16-of-20 points to open the game, jumping to a 12-point lead just under 6:00 into the game. Including two Marquetta Dickens lay ups to open the game. Kendra Williams (Bronx, N.Y. / Mount St. Ursula) scored the first basket for RMU at the 18:52 mark with a lay up in the paint, making the score 4-2.
That was as close as the Colonials would get, as their next basket would come after four straight Wolfpack baskets by way of a Psyche Butler (Fort Worth, Texas / New Mexico J.C.) jumper making the score 8-4 at the 17:48 mark of the first half.
Sasha Reaves gave NC State a 16-4 lead after two free throws, but Chinata Nesbit (Washington, D.C. / Chipola J.C.) cut the lead back to within 10-points for the last time in the game with a lay up in the paint at the 13:39 mark making the score 16-6.
NC State would outscore the Colonials 8-3 over the next 4:36, but Sugeiry Monsac (Villa Maria, Dom. Rep. / Arizona Western J.C.) ended that run with a three-pointer making the score 24-12 at the 8:44 mark.
RMU looked like they were going to close out the half on a run after Nesbit scored four straight points, making the score 38-21 with 1:22 left in the half, but NC State outscored the Colonials 6-0 over the remainder of the half, giving them a 44-21 lead at the half.
After a Monsac lay up with 14:49 left in the second half, NC State used a 14-0 run to up its lead to 39-points with 11:34 left in the game. Nesbit and Sharnise Beal then traded baskets before the Colonials would go onto out score the Wolfpack, 11-2 over the next 2:20 making the score 72-40 with 6:45 left in the half. The run was capped off with a Nesbit lay up and included a three-pointer a lay up by Princess Asia Alston (Lowell, Mass. / Butler C.C.).
The Colonials got to within 29 with 1:53 left in the game after an Alston jumper, but NC State cruised to an 84-52 victory.
"I don't think we were nervous," said Monsac. "We knew they were from a big conference but we still wanted to play hard, and we did, and we never gave up. Even though we lost 84-52, we never gave up."
Monsac led the Colonials with 20 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 7-of-18 from the field. Nesbit also tallied 20 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Marquetta Dickens led NC State with 25 points.
The Colonials finished the season with a program best 24-8 record. They claimed a share of the Northeast Conference regular season championship and claimed their third NEC Tournament title to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in RMU women's basketball history. The Colonials will lose five seniors to graduation Monsac, Alston, Jenna Burkett (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area), Arlene Mull (Irwin, Pa. / Greensburg, Pa.) and Natasha Summerville (Arlington, Texas / Frank Phillips C.C.).
