Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. / Pope Center - The Robert Morris University women's basketball team ran to a 87-60 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) at the Pope Center on Saturday afternoon. Redshirt senior guard Angela Pace (Westchester, N.Y. / Woodlands (Monroe College)) finished with career highs in points (24) and assists (12) and came four rebounds shy of the third triple-double in team history.

The Colonials improve to 9-6 on the season and move to 4-0 in Northeast Conference play for jus the fourth time in team history. St. Francis remains winless in league games, 0-4, and slip to 1-13 overall.

Pace went 10-0f-16 from the field, adding a block and four steals to go along with her 24 points and 12 assists.

Three other Colonial players reached double-digits. Freshman Vega Gimeno-Martinez (Valencia, Spain / Spanish National U-20) hit five three-pointers on her way to 17 points and seven rebounds. Junior Kristine Silaraja (Ventspils, Latvia / Ventspils (Barton County)) added 13 points with a perfect 5-5 performance. Both Silaraja and Gimeno had career-bests in the assist category, Gimeno with five and Silaraja with seven. Junior Bianca Hooten (Canton, Ohio / Canton-McKinley (Bowling Green)) had 12 points to go with four rebounds and three steals.

The Terriers, led by 28 points from Autumn Lau, tried to make the game interesting early in the second half, cutting the lead to nine points when Lau hit two free throw with 13:30 left to play. A baseline jumper by RMU freshman Anna Gailite (Riga, Latvia / Latvian National U-20) started a 10-run for the Colonials that put the game out of reach.

St. Francis had just two field goals over the game's final 14:10 and watched as Robert Morris pushed the lead out to as many as 30 points, 83-53, with 5:27 to play.

Robert Morris gained control of the contest over the final 9:18 of the first half, finishing on a 19-6 run to break open a 22-20 game. The Colonials torched the St. Francis defense to the tune of 56.7 percent shooting, including 6-of-10 on three-pointers. Pace had 13 first-half points and five assists while Gimeno rained from long-range, knocking down all four of her three-point attempts to post 12 first half points.

Gimeno and Pace traded three-pointers and lay-ups on the four consecutive possessions, starting the run with a 10-0 outburst.  The Colonials pressing defense forced 12 first half turnovers and converted those giveaways in 17 points.

Robert Morris finished with 44 points in the paint and 37 points off turnovers. The Colonials bench outscored the Terriers, 25-9.

RMU shot a season-best 58.6 percent (34-58) and were 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from three-point range. The Terriers shot 30.9 percent (17-55), but were better from long range at 31.3 percent (10-32).

The Colonials return to the Sewall Center to host Fairleigh Dickinson this Thursday, January 14. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m.