Loretto, Pa. / De Gol Arena-Senior guard Angela Pace (Westchester, N.Y. / Woodlands (Monroe College)) scored 23 points and had a career-best 18 rebounds to lead the Robert Morris University women's basketball team to a 76-70 overtime win at Saint Francis (Pa.) Thursday evening in the first game of a home-and-home series. The Colonials improve to a program best 10-1 in Northeast Conference games and 15-7 overall while the Red Flash slip to 9-12 and 6-5 in league games.
Pace finished the game 9-of-19, scoring 23 points, one shy of her career best .She added a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with five assists and five steals. Seven of her points came in the overtime session.
The extra session victory was the Colonials first overtime win since the semifinals of the 2005 Northeast Conference Tournament. Robert Morris is now 9-9 all-time in overtime.
Junior Kristine Silaraja (Ventspils, Latvia / Ventspils (Barton County)) scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with a team-high six assists. She knocked down three of her five trifectas. Gimeno added 17 points and six rebounds. Freshman Anna Gailite (Riga, Latvia / Latvian National U-20) had a career-best 11 boards.
Pace staked the Colonials to a quick four-point lead in the overtime session, tallying baskets on two of the team's first three possessions. Gailite then scored on a layup to put RMU up, 68-62, halfway through the extra session. An Allison Daly trey cut the margin in half, bur Robert Morris pushed the lead out to 74-65 before Saint Francis could answer as the Colonials coasted to the victory.
After Robert Morris cut the lead to one-point to start the second half, the Red Flash went on an 8-1 run to take a 53-45 lead, holding the Colonials scoreless for 6:24.
The tide turned on a shot by Pace that started a 13-1 run. RMU held the Red Flash without a field goal for 8:28 as the Colonials got five points from Silaraja and four from Pace. Silaraja's put-back with 5:26 left put RMU up, 55-54, moments before she hit a three-pointer to stretch it to a four-point margin
The Red Flash countered over the final 3:36, using an 8-4 spurt to send the game to overtime when Janie Killian made a layup off an inbounds play with 37 seconds left in regulation.
Gimeno hit three three-pointers in the first 3:28 of the game, staking the Colonials to a 9-5 lead. Daly matched Gimeno shot-for-shot, scoring 13 of the Red Flashes first 23 points. Her hot shooting combined with Samantha Leach's 13 first half points spurred a 16-3 Saint Francis run. With RMU leading, 24-20 and 8:52 left in the half, the Red Flash got triples by Daly and Britney Hodges along with eight points by Leach to take a 36-27 lead.
Silaraja ended the Red Flash run with her second three and ninth consecutive RMU point with 3:18 before break. RMU ended the half with a mini 9-4 run to make it a four-point deficit, 36-40, at the break.
Robert Morris finished the contest 27-of-66 (40.9 percent) while Saint Francis cooled off to 38.0 percent (27-71) after going just 8-of-31 in the second half. The Red Flash outrebounded the Colonials, 51-41.
These two teams meet again on Saturday, February 6, at 4:00 p.m. at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
