NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
#6 ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (13-17) at #3 SAINT FRANCIS (PA.) RED FLASH (13-16)
Saturday, March 7 ? 8:00 p.m.
William H. Pitt Center (2,100) ? Fairfield, Conn.
On the Air: WPIT 730 AM
Adam Gusky, play-by-play & Matt Kirk, color
Internet: www.sports.yahoo.com (live & archived)
Websites: www.RMUColonials.com ? www.GoRedFlash.com
Top Story
#6 Robert Morris (13-17, 9-9 NEC) begins defense of its back-to-back Northeast Conference Tournament Presented by Esurance Championships when they take on #3 Saint Francis (Pa.) (13-16, 11-7 NEC) in the quarterfinals of the 2009 playoffs. Game time is slated for 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Sacred Heart University's William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. Robert Morris is 16-10 all-time in the Northeast Conference Tournament Presented by Esurance, including six straight victories over the past two seasons. Those six victories have resulted in back-to-back conference championships and bids to the past two NCAA Tournaments. Saint Francis (Pa.) dominated the NEC from 1996 through 2005, winning nine of those 10 tournament titles.
Musket Shots
- Four of the Colonials nine conference losses have been by two points or less
- Senior Sade Logan is 8th nationally in scoring (21.2) and leads the nation in three's (3.5 per game)
- Junior Monet Johnson leads the league in double-doubles (17) and isone of just 19 players in the nation averaging a double-double (16.3 pts., 10.8 reb)
- Robert Morris is 12-3 when holding opponents under 60 points
- The Colonials are 3-13 away from the Sewall Center this season
- Robert Morris won the NEC regular season and tournament titles in 2007 and 2008
All-Time Series vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)
Robert Morris and Saint Francis have played 61 times dating back the 1976-77 season with the Red Flash holding a slim, 31-30 edge. These teams have met just once on a neutral court with the Red Flash winning that game. Each squad has enjoyed long winning streaks during the 32 years of this rivalry. After Saint Francis won the first meeting, the Colonials rolled off 16 straight wins through the 88-89 season. The Red Flash won 26 of 28 meetings from 1993 through the end of the 2004-05 season, including 16 from 1997 to 2004.
On Tap
The winner of this quarterfinal contest will take on the victor in the #2 Central Connecticut State and #7 Fairleigh Dickinson game. The semifinal contest of the Northeast Conference Tournament Presented by Esurance on Sunday, March 8, at 4:00 p.m., also at Sacred Heart's Pitt Center.
Scouting the Red Flash
Saint Francis has won four of its last five games and head into this weekend's festivities with a 13-16 overall record. The Red Flash score 67.2 points a game, shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from three-point range. Defensively, they are allowing 68.9 points and holding opponents to 42.0 percent shooting. Samantha Leach leads a quartet of players in double-digit scoring at 12.8 points a game. Briteny Hodges chips in with 12.1 while Allison Dlay and Brittany Lilley average 10.9 and 10.4 Hodges and Daly are the team's biggest three-point threats, combining for 98 treys.
Logan Looking Dapper - www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan
Senior guard Sade Logan was one of four finalists for the 2009 Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year, the most prestigious award for professional and collegiate athletes in southwestern Pennsylvania. Logan was the NEC Player of the Year last season, finishing third in the nation in scoring and tying the NCAA Division I record for three-pointers with 126. The winner of this year's award, Shante Zellous from Pitt, was selected by both public vote and the Dapper Dan Charities' executive committee.
Johnson & Johnson ? Double & Double
Junior forward Monet Johnson is one of just 19 players in the nation averaging a double-double and has recorded more double-doubles (17) than any other player in the conference this season. Her 17 this season are the most since Sugeiry Monsac tallied 21 in 2004-05. Johnson 13 in the last 16 games, including a streak of seven straight. The junior transfer is averaging a double-double for the season at 16.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. In Northeast Conference games, Johnson is putting up 13.4 points a game and ripping down 12.1 caroms.
Under 60, Over 60
All but one of Robert Morris' wins this season have come when they hold their opponents to under 60 points. On the offensive, the Colonials are just 1-8 when they score 59 points or under and post an 12-9 record when scoring at least 60 or more points.
Home and Away, Night and Day
Robert Morris is 10-4 at home this season compared to 3-12 on the road and 3-13 including neutral site contests. In home games, RMU is averaging 66.1 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent, almost eight percent better than when on the road at 35.7 percent. At the same time, their defense is better by nearly 10 points per game and their field goal pecrcentage defense is .366 compared to .408 on the road.
Shooting Woes
Over the last eight games of the regular season, Robert Morris has shot better than 40 percent just once. A troubling trend considering the Colonials are 6-14 this season when failing to hit 40 percent and 7-3 when they do. The team is 1-7 during that stretch, their only win a 61-49 triumph at Wagner where they held the Seahawks to 30 percent shooting.
