BRYANT BULLDOGS
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 | 1:00 p.m. | Moon Township, Pa. | Charles L. Sewall Center
 
The Capsule
The Robert Morris University women's basketball plays host to the first-place Bryant University Bulldogs in a 1:00 p.m. game at the Charles L. Sewall Center this Saturday, Jan. 31. RMU has won five straight games and have never lost to the Bulldogs at The Chuck.
 
The Series vs. Bryant
The Colonials are 8-2 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a perfect mark of 6-0 at the Charles L. Sewall Center. RMU has won three straight in the series and five of the last six, including a 72-67 victory in the NEC semifinals last season.
 
Hot Shots
It should come as no surprise that the Colonials five-game win streak coincides with team's five-best shooting performances of the season. RMU is hitting at a 48.7% clip (133-273) during the streak, including 41.3% (45-109) from three-point range.
 
Defensive Minded
Robert Morris leads the NEC in defensive field goal percentage holding opponents to 38.7 percent. RMU is third, allowing just 64.4 points per game and is second in the league with 76 blocks, averaging 4.00 per game.
 
Musket Shots
> RMU is shooting 48.7% (133-273) in the last five games, including 41.3% (45-109) on three-pointers
> Ashley Ravelli has 139 career three-pointers and needs just three more to move into the Colonials top-five
> Ravelli has started every game since 2012-13, a streak of 80 consecutive starts
> At 7.7 three-pointers made per game, RMU leads the NEC and is 27th in the nation in three-pointers per game
> Robert Morris has won 12 consecutive NEC home games and 15 straight home games against conference opponents
> RMU is 115-33 (.778) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 78-15 (.839) in NEC games
> The Colonials underclassmen average 50.5 points per game, accounting for 78.7 percent of the team's scoring
> The Colonials tied the team record for three-pointers with 13 against St. Francis Brooklyn (1.17.15)
> The Colonials set season highs for points (86) and assists (20) in an 86-37 win at Wagner (1.12.15)
> The 39-point margin of victory at Wagner is the third largest in team history and most since a 100-50 win at FDU in 1985
> The Colonials three overtime games this season tie the team record set by 2012-13 and 1998-99 squads
> Eight of the Colonials 11 players hail from outside the United States
> In 11 seasons at the helm, Sal Buscaglia has led the Colonials to six 20-win seasons
> RMU has won three of its five NEC Championships with Buscaglia on the bench
> Buscaglia was named the Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year for the third time in 2013-14
> The Colonials were selected first in the 2014-15 NEC Preseason Poll garnering five first place votes
> Robert Morris has made it to the NEC Tournament semifinals in eight of the last 10 seasons
 
Coach Sal Closing In On 200
Sal Buscaglia, now in his 12th-season as head coach, needs just four more victories to reach 200 in his tenure at RMU. Buscaglia has more 20 win seasons, NEC championships, and postseason tournament berths than the program's other four coaches combined. Dan Swalga (1978-1991) is the only other coach in team history to reach 200 victories, going 211-137 in 13 seasons at the helm.
 
Underclassmen Scoring
RMU has received tremendous offensive output from its eight underclassmen with sophomores and freshmen accounting for 78.2 percent of the team's scoring tallying 50.8 points per game. The sophomore class scores 32.1 points a game and the rookie class tacks on 18.7 points. Juniors and seniors combine to score 13.6 points a game.
 
Rain!
In the words of former RMU manager Dave Williamson, the Colonials were raining three-pointers in a 67-64 win over St. Francis Brooklyn (1.17.15). Robert Morris tied the team record by knocking down 13 of the long range bombs. RMU was 13-of-21 from behind the arc, the 61.9 percent conversion rate is the second-best mark in team annals.
 
Bench Depth
All 11 RMU players are averaging at least 6.6 minutes per game and the bench delivers 21.1 points per game. Ten players are scoring at least 2.7 points per game. Six different players have seen action in every game this season. The RMU bench has outscored all but four of its counterparts.
 
Dishing It Out
Junior guard Ashley Ravelli had 11 assists at Wagner (1.12.15), a career high for the native Italian and tied for ninth in the team's single-game annals. The squad record is 14 assists, a mark that Kathy Frederick reached twice in the 1985-86 season, while three players have had 13 assists and three have had 12 assists. Ravelli is the sixth different player with 11 assists and the first with that many since Briannica Tye (1.9.12).
 
30 Year Victory
The Robert Morris victory at Wagner on Jan. 12 was unlike any other by the team in nearly 30 years. The Colonials 86-47 win, a 39-point margin, was the team's largest since it defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 100-50, on Feb. 19, 1950. It is the third largest margin of victory in team history.
 
Decade of Dominance
From 2004-05 through 2013-14, Robert Morris posted a record of 128-52 in Northeast Conference play and won four regular season titles. The Colonials .711 winning percentage is second only to Sacred Heart (138-42, .767) with each team claiming four regular season championships and three tourney titles.
 
Working Overtime
The Colonials played back-to-back overtime games for just the second time in team history and the first time since the 1998-99 season. With three overtime contests already in the books, the squad has tied the record for OT games in a season, equaling the totals of the 2012-13 and 98-99 squads.
 
Schedule Strength
The Colonials non-conference schedule was the 71st toughest of the 349 Division I teams in the nation. Of the Colonials 11 non-conference opponents, 10 were .500 or better coming into the game. RMU opposition was a combined 40-21 (.655) coming into games against the Colonials.
 
Chuck's Charms
The Charles L. Sewall Center, a.k.a. "The Chuck", has lent a certain advantage for the Colonials over the past 11 seasons. Since 2004-05, RobertMorris is 115-33 (.778) in home games, including an even more impressive 78-15 (.839) record against Northeast Conference opponents.
 
Insurmountable Lead
Robert Morris has never lost a game in which it has held the lead at the end of the game. The Colonials are 8-0 in such situations this season. All-time, RMU is 486-0 when leading at the final whistle.
 
Record Road Trip
Robert Morris opened the season with five consecutive road games, the most road games to start a season in program history. The five-game swing is also the second longest road trip in team history and the first five-game trip since 2007-08. The 1989-90 squad had six consecutive road games.
 
Preseason Favorite
Robert Morris earned five first-place votes and was picked first in the NEC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll. It's the second straight season RMU is the preseason favorite and the fourth time overall.
 
Growing Pains
The 12-player Robert Morris roster features eight underclassmen and just four upperclassmen. Jolie Olingende is the lone senior and Ashley Ravelli, Lou Mataly and Randi Jackson make up the junior class. RMU has four sophomores and four freshmen.
 
Nationally Known
Robert Morris has played in a national tournament in six of the last eight seasons. In 2007 and 2008, the Colonials took part in the NCAA Tournament. A Preseason WNIT berth followed in 2008-09 and a Postseason WNIT in 2009-10. The 2011-12 season ended with the top seed in the Women's Basketball Invitational before RMU returned to the Big Dance in 2014.
 
The Road to The NCAA Tournament
The Colonials earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Northeast Conference Tournament, taking advantage of the top seed they secured by winning the regular season title witha 14-4 record. RMU has won five NEC titles, earning NCAA Tourney berths in 2007, 2008 and 2014. A 16-seed last season, the Colonials lost to #1 seed Notre Dame, 42-93.
 
Jolie's Seven Jargons
Redshirt senior Jolie Olingende is fluent in seven languages. The 6' 1" center speaks French, English, Lingala, Kingwandi, Kisango, Kkongo, Munukutoba. French is the offical language of the Congo. Kisango is her mother's native language while Kingwandi is her father's. Lingala is the language of northern Congo and Kkongo was the language spoken where she attended school. Olingende picked up Munukutuba on her own and didn't learn English until she attended school at Arizona Western. She plans on learning Spanish as well when she travels to Spain next year.
 
International Love
The Robert Morris roster once again features members from all over the world. The Colonials 11-player roster features eight international players. The three Americans come from the Maryland and New Jersey. RMU's imported players hail from Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Greece, Italy and Spain.
 
20 Win Again
The 2013-14 squad reached the 20-win plateau for the eighth time in school history. Six of those 20-win seasons have come in the 11 seasons that Sal Buscaglia has been at the helm of the program.
 
Perennial Playoff Potential
Robert Morris has missed the NEC playoffs just once since 2004-05. RMU had eight consecutive playoff appearances from 2004-05 through 2011-12 and finished first in three of those seasons, earning the tournament's top seed in 2010. The Colonials returned to the postseason last year by taking the regular season title.
 
Team Records For Home Wins
The Colonials went 15-4 at home last season, setting a team record for home wins. RMU won 13 straight games at the Chuck to end the 2012-13 season, the longest such win streak in team history.