Ithaca, N.Y. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team erased a 15-point halftime deficit before eventually falling at Cornell University, 70-59, in overtime. It was the second straight overtime game for the Colonials and the third for the squad this season.
 
Anna Niki Stamolamprou and Rebeca Navarro tied for team-high honors with 13 points for the Colonials (2-8). Stamolamprou had the go-ahead jumper with 1:11 showing and added five rebounds and four assists. Navarro was 5-of-7 from the field and had a trio of treys, her best shooting game of the season. Freshman Shakema Dashiell came off the bench to add 12 points that included a pair of three-pointers in the first half.

"Losing back-to-back overtime games is certainly quite disappointing," said 12th-year head coach Sal Buscagli. "Allowing a team to have an 18-point lead in the first half, allowing them to go to the line 33 times and last game allowing our opponent to go to the line 35 times makes it difficult to win. In addition, we're making key mistakes when we have the opportunity win the game by either missing a free throw, commiting a violation or turning the ball over. You just can't do those things at key times and expect to win. We're a young team and today we played 11 of 12 players double-digit minutes and I'm hoping with one more non-conference game under the belt, all this experience will pay off when we get to conference play."
 
The Colonials clamped down on defense in the second half holding Cornell (5-4) to just four field goals and just one in the final 13:15. Offensively, RMU started the second frame on a 10-0 run using three-pointers from Megan Smith and Navarro to cut a 15-point halftime deficit to just five points, 40-35.
 
The Big Red pushed the margin back to 12 points over the next seven minutes, pulling ahead 54-42 with 8:21 showing. That run was powered by 11 straight points from Nia Marshall who finished with a game-high 31 points and also had 10 rebounds.
 
The Colonials found the answer in the form of a 15-0 run. Six different players contributed to that surge. A three-pointer from the left corner by Ashley Ravelli tied the game at 54-54 before Stamolamprou bomb gave RMU its first lead of the game with 1:11 to play.
 
Marshall, however, once again had an answer for the Big Red. She tallied the team's first field goal in nearly 13 minutes and finished off the three-point play from the line to send the game into overtime tied at 57. The Big Red went to the charity stripe nine times in the extra session and RMU went 1-7 from the field as Cornell pulled away for a 70-59 win.
 
After trading baskets on the first two possessions of the game, Cornell scored the next 11 points to jump out to a 13-2 lead five minutes after the opening tip-off. Nia Marshall had seven of those points for the Big Red who started 6-of-10. RMU cut the lead to seven points on a Stamolamprou jumper before Cornell went on a 12-2 went to push the margin to 18 points, 35-17, when Megan LeDuc drained a three-pointer from the corner.
 
Robert Morris is off until Dec. 29 when they travel to Marshall for a 6:00 p.m. game.