Box Score
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Fairfield, Conn. / William H. Pitt Center —The Robert Morris University women's basketball team couldn't recover from a slow start as they dropped a 71-57 Northeast Conference game at Sacred Heart University Monday night. The Colonials are now 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the league while the Pioneers have the same overall record but are perfect, 2-0, in the NEC.
 
Senior forward Artemis Spanou (Rhodes, Greece / Nea Smyrni) finished the game with 22 points and 17 rebounds for her 20^th consecutive double-double against NEC competition. She finished 10-of-17 from the floor and added two blocks and two steals. Sophomore guard Ashley Ravelli (Milano, Italy / The Hun School) tacked on 13 points, going 4-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.

"We have to learn, as a team, that we cannot spot a team a significant lead in the first 10 minutes of a ballgame and think we're always going to come back," said 11th year head coach Sal Buscaglia. "Certainly, especially with a young team, its tough playing the second game of a road trip. But we have to learn quickly, if we want to be a winning team, that we have to adapt. I'm very disappointed in our performance. There's a lot of games left to play and I'm confident we'll begin to understand what it takes."
 
Gabrielle Washington finished the game with 32 points and 15 rebounds for Sacred Heart. The Pioneers, shooting just 29 percent from long range coming in to the game, went 10-of-24 from downtown including 7-16 in the opening frame.
 
For the second straight game, Robert Morris found itself in an early hole. Sacred Heart raced out to a 9-0 lead. Gabrielle Washington couldn't miss, hitting four three pointers in the first eight minutes to stake the Pioneers to a 23-7 lead. A switch on the defense by the Colonials slowed the host Pioneers who missed their next 11 shots. Back-to-back baskets by Spanou and a short runner from freshman Rebecca Navarro (Galicia, Spain / Las Sieges Palmas) capped an 8-0 run that brought the game to 23-15.
 
A nearly three-minute drought to end the half by RMU allowed the Pioneers to push the margin back out to 13 points, 35-22, at halftime. Spanou had eight points and 10 rebounds while the Pioneers' Washington scored 17 points, including five three-pointers, in the opening frame.
 
Early in the second half, Enjoli Bland gave the Pioneers their biggest lead, 41-24, with a layup. Trailing 35-51, Robert Morris called timeout. Immediately afterwards, Spanou converted on a lay-in as the Colonials went on a 10-0 surge. Ravelli would score four points during the push that cut the margin to 51-45.
 
The Colonials eventually got as close as five points, 58-53, with 4:21 to play when Spanou hit a layup following a three-pointer by Navarro. A three by the Pioneers Adaysha Williams and a then another by Washington,  her sixth of the game, put the lead back to nine points and Sacred Heart would push the lead out to the final of 71-57.
 
Robert Morris returns to the hardwood Saturday, January 11, when Bryant visits the Charles L. Sewall Center for a 1:30 game.