Cincinnati, Ohio – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team took Big East member Xavier to overtime before bowing, 70-65, in a non-conference game at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sunday afternoon. The Colonials end their five-game season-opening road trip at 2-3 while the Musketeers improve to 5-1.
 
Anna Nike Stamolamprou finished with a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds. She was 8-12 from the floor and hit a pair of three-pointers. Ashley Ravelli tacked on 12 points. Janee Brown scored all of her season-high nine points in the second half and overtime. She added five rebounds.

"Certainly very disappointing when you have the opportunity to beat a team on their floor who has been to the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen in recent history," said 12th-year head coach Sal Buscaglia. "The team played hard. I think our youth showed in the last four or five minutes of the game. Certainly, losing to Xavier in overtime is nothing to be ashamed of, but its still disappointing because we had a chance to beat them on their floor. We have to learn from our mistakes and this experience and be prepared for our next ball game."
 
The squads traded baskets for much of the second stanza. Xavier cut the margin to five points, 43-38. A shot-clock beating heave from three-point range by Jocelynne Jones sparked a 10-4 RMU run that ended with a Stamolamprou reverse lay-up on an offensive rebound. The bucket gave Robert Morris its biggest lead of the game, 53-42, with 9:38 showing in regulation.
 
Over the next six minutes, however, the Colonials scored just one point and committed eight turnovers. Xavier took advantage going on a 12-1 run to tie the game, 54-54, on a breakaway lay-up by Maleeka Kynard.  A pull-up jumper by Ravelli was answered by a Xavier free throw before Stamolamprou pushed the lead to three points with 42 seconds to play. Jenna Crittendon then buried a trey from the right wing to tie the game at 60 and send things to overtime.
 
A short jumper by Crittendon followed by a trey from Raeshaun Gaffney put the Musketeers in front to start the overtime session. Stamolamprou's bomb from the right wing was followed by a drive from Brown that tied the game with 1:33 left. After empty possessions by both squads, Leah Schaffer put the host on top with a drive down the lane. A five-second violation by RMU combined with two shots from the chalk by Kynard put the Colonials away as Xavier took a 70-65 victory.
 
Xavier scored the first five points of the game, but the Colonials reacted decisively. Robert Morris scored the next nine points and hit six of its first seven shots. Ravelli had seven of those points and the Colonials led 9-5 with 16:29 to play. Xavier came back to take the lead, 14-13, on a Kindell Fincher lay-in.
 
RMU had another first half answer, a Mikalah Mulrain put back sparking a 14-4 run that featured seven points from Stamolamprou and ended with the Colonials on top, 27-18. The Colonials pushed the lead to as many as 10 points before going into the half leading, 33-26.
 
Four players reached double-digits for the host squad led by Briana Glover with 18 points. Crittendon added 13, Kynard 11 and Schaefer tacked on 10 points.
 
After playing its first five games of the season on the road, Robert Morris opens its home slate Wednesday, Dec. 3, by hosting La Salle in a 7:00 p.m. game at the Charles L. Sewall Center.