GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES    
Thursday, December 17, 2015 // 11:00 a.m.
Statesboro, Ga. // Hanner Fieldhouse
 
The Capsule
Robert Morris wraps up a three-game road trip and plays its final game before the Christmas break Thursday, Dec. 17, when it travels to Statesboro, Ga., for an 11:00 a.m. game against the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Colonials are coming off of road losses at #24 Iowa and at SEC-member Florida. The Eagles have won three straight games.
 
The Series vs. Georgia Southern
This is the inaugural meeting between the Colonials and Eagles.
 
Front Runners
Robert Morris has held the lead at the end of the first quarter in all but two games. The Colonials are outscoring their opposition by nearly four points in the opening 10 minutes, a margin that RMU carries at the halftime break as well.
 
2 For 1K
Senior Ashley Ravelli and junior Anna Niki Stamolamprou are approaching the 1,000 career point milestone. Ravelli, who has started all but one game in her career, has 929 career points. Stamolamprou has 967 points, averaging 13.7 to this point in her career. There are currently 19 RMU players in the Colonials 1,000-point club.
 
Coach Sal Sailing On
The 2015-16 season will be the last for 13th year RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia who will retire at the conclusion of the season after 38 years on the bench. Coach Sal, as he is respectfully called, has won 696 games at four schools. With 209 wins at RMU, Buscaglia needs just three more to break the program record of 211 (Dan Swalga, 1978-90).
 
How May I Assist You?
The Colonials current average of 16.4 assists per game is the best over the course of a season in team history. The 1989-90 squad averaged 16.2 assists in 25 games. RMU has recorded 20 or more assists in three games this season.
 
Musket Shots
> Sal Buscaglia needs two wins to tie to the RMU record of 211 and is five wins from 700 in his career
> Anna Niki Stamolamprou has two double-doubles this year after totaling 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Morgan State
> Rebeca Navarro (.377), Anna Niki Stamolamprou (.372), and Lou Mataly (.346) are in top-10 in three-point pct. at RMU
> The Colonials 12 three-pointers against Northern Kentucky were second most in team history
> RMU is 123-36 (.774) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 83-16 (.838) in NEC games
> Mikalah Mulrain has two double-doubles this season, including a 13 pt., 11 reb., game at La Salle
> Ashley Ravelli is third all-time at RMU with 168 career three-pointers (Next: Sade Logan, 205, 57 games, 2007-09)
> RMU set team records for points (124), scoring margin (+65), FGs (49), assists (37) and rebounds (67) vs. WV Wesleyan
> The Colonials were selected first in the 2015-16 NEC Preseason Poll garnering seven first place votes
> Stamolamprou was named Preseason All-NEC by the league coaches
> Robert Morris has made the NEC playoffs 10 times in the last 12 seasons under Sal Buscaglia
> Eight of the Colonials 15 players hail from outside the United States
> RMU has won three of its five NEC Championships with Buscaglia on the bench
 
A Guard Getting It Done
Junior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who measures in at 5'9", recorded her second double-double of the year and third of her career with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Morgan State. She leads the team in scoring (12.5) and rebounding (6.8).
 
Consecutive Games With a Three
Robert Morris has hit a three-pointer in 78 consecutive games dating back to Feb. 18, 2013. That streak includes a trey in every game from 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. It's a long way off of the team record of 285 consecutive games stretching from Jan. 7, 2002 through March 8, 2011, however.
 
Second Most Threes
Robert Morris buried a dozen three-pointers in last Sunday's loss to Northern Kentucky, the second-most made treys in team history. The Colonials took 33 three-pointers, third most in team history, converting at 36.4 percent overall. Megan Smith, Rebeca Navarro and Ashley Ravelli combined to go 11-of-23 (.478).
 
Depth Coming Through
The Colonials have had at least eight players score in all but one game this season and have had 10 or more players find the scoring column four times. RMU is averaging 22.0 points off the bench and 11 players are averaging 9.0 minutes per game.
 
Mulrain's Doing Double Duty
Sophomore Mikalah Mulrain has recorded two double-doubles this season. She had 20 points and 13 rebounds — both career highs — against West Virginia Wesleyan and 13 points and 11 rebounds against La Salle.
 
Fantastic Four
Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who wears number four, was named to the All-NEC First Team as a sophomore. She finished 2014-15 ranked 15th in the nation shooting 42.0% from three-point range while leading the team in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg). Her 81 three-pointers last season rank second in single season history.
 
Preseason Favorite
Robert Morris earned seven first-place votes in the 2015-16 NEC Preseason Poll and was selected first in the preseason poll for the third straight season. They won the NEC Tournament in 2014 and made it to the championship in 2015 as the preseason leader. This marks the fifth time overall that the Colonials are the preseason favorite.
 
Six Reach Double-Digits
Six Colonials hit double-digits in the scoring department in its season opener, the first time that's happened in a home since 2008, and the first time overall since the end of the 2013-14 season. Mikalah Mulrain led all scorers with 20 points, Anna Niki Stamolamprou and Rebeca Navarro added 15 each, Jocelynne Jones a career-best 13 along with Lou Mataly and freshman Nia Adams tacking on 11 points.
 
Postseason Prizewinners
A trio of Colonials players received post-season accolades from the coaches in 2014-15. Anna Niki Stamolamprou was named to the All-NEC First Team honor. Mikalah Mulrain and Megan Smith both earned spots on the All-Rookie team, the third consecutive season RMU has had two members on the league's all-rookie squad.
 
Coach In Waiting
With the imminent retirement of head coach Sal Buscaglia, associate head coach Charlie Buscaglia, will take over the reins of the program in 2016-17. Coach B, as he is respectfully called, is in his 13th season with 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 12 seasons. Since 2004-05, RobertMorris is 122-36 (.772) in home games, including an even more impressive 83-16 (.838) record in Northeast Conference opponents.
 
Record Three-Point Performance
The 2014-15 team crushed the team record for three-pointers, knocking down 248. The Colonials ranked 24th nationally hitting 7.8 treys per game.
 
Near Playoff Perfection At Home
Robert Morris is 16-2 all-time in home playoff games. The squad had won 14 consecutive home playoff contests before falling to St. Francis Brooklyn in the 2015 NEC Final.
 
Decade of Dominance
From 2004-05 through 2014-15, Robert Morris posted a record of 141-57 in Northeast Conference play and won four regular season titles. The Colonials .712 winning percentage is second only to Sacred Heart (149-49, .753) with each team claiming four regular season championships and three tourney titles.
 
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 4-0 in such situations this season. All-time, RMU is 499-0 when leading at the final whistle.
 
Full Complement
For the first time under head coach Sal Buscaglia, the Colonials roster features a full complement of 15 players. It's likely that all will make contributions as the Colonials had 10 or more players find the scoring column on 11 different occasions last season.
 
Nationally Known
Robert Morris has played in a national tournament in six of the last nine 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.
 
International Love
The Robert Morris roster once again features members from all over the world. The Colonials 15-player roster features eight international players and seven domestic products. RMU's imported players hail from Canada, France, Greece, Italy and Spain.
 
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.