@ CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE BLUE DEVILS
Saturday, January 10, 2015 | 1:00 p.m. | New Britain, Conn. | Detrick Gymnasium
 
The Capsule
The Robert Morris University women's basketball team continues a three-game Northeast Conference road trip Saturday, January 10, when it travels to New Britain, Conn., for a 1:00 p.m. game against Central Connecticut State. The Colonials won its 11th consecutive NEC opener against Mount St. Mary's before falling at Saint Francis U.
 
The Series vs. Central Connecticut State
Robert Morris has defeated Central Connecticut State 15 of the last 17 times they have met to take a 17-12 lead in the all-time series. The Colonials are 5-9 at Detrick Gymnasium.
 
Underclassmen Scoring
RMU has received tremendous offensive output from its eight underclassmen with sophomores and freshmen accounting for 77.4 percent of the team's scoring tallying 48.4 points per game. The sophomore class scores 30.0 points a game and the rookie class tacks on 18.4 points. Juniors and seniors combine to score 14.1 points a game.
 
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.
 
Musket Shots
- 11 of 12 players scored and all 12 played at least nine minutes in NEC opener against Mount St. Mary's
- Megan Smith posted her first double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Saint Francis U.
- At 7.5 three-pointers made per game, RMU leads the NEC and is 35th in the nation in three-pointers per game
- Ashley Ravelli has started every game since 2012-13, a streak of 75 consecutive starts
- The Colonials underclassmen average 48.4 points per game, accounting for 77.4 percent of the team's scoring
- The Colonials three overtime games this season tie the team record set by 2012-13 and 1998-99 squads
- RMU is 113-33 (.774) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 76-15 (.835) in NEC games
- Eight of the Colonials 12 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
 
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.
 
Olé Sole
Sophomore center Judith Sole put together a pair of impressive performances to break into the starting line-up. She recorded two double-doubles, averaging 18.5 points and 13.5 rebounds against Hofstra and Duquesne. Sole had 14 points and 10 rebounds at Hofstra before recording career-highs for points, 23, and rebounds, 14, in her first career start vs. Duquesne.
 
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 113-33 (.773) in home games, including an even more impressive 76-15 (.835) record against Northeast Conference opponents.
 
Bench Depth
All 12 RMU players are averaging at least 7.3 minutes per game and the bench delivers 22 points per game. Ten players are scoring at least 3.4 points per game. Seven different players have seen action in every game this season. The RMU bench has outscored all but three of its counterparts.
 
Second Half Improvement
The Colonials have played significantly better in the second half of games this season compared to the opening half. In the first half, RMU is averaging 27.1 points while shooting 32.9 percent from the field and 28.4 percent from long range. In the second half, those numbers improve to 34.5 points while shooting 38.4 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from long range.
 
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.
 
Racking Up the Rewards Points
In the first 21 days of the 2014-15 basketball season, RMU spent 12 nights in a hotel and a total of 14 nights on the road. In addition to hotel stays, the team traveled overnight to Iowa and back from Illinois.
 
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 8 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 12-player roster features eight international players. The four Americans come from the states of California, 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.
 
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 3-0 in such situations this season. All-time, RMU is 482-0 when leading at the final whistle.
 
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.