CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE BLUE DEVILS
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 | 4:00 p.m. | Moon Township, Pa. | Charles L. Sewall Center
 
The Capsule
The Robert Morris University women's basketball team has Valentine's Day date with first-place Central Connecticut State in a Northeast Conference game at the Charles L. Sewall Center this Saturday, February 14, at 4:00 p.m. The Colonials and Blue Devils are the two hottest teams in the league with 9 and 8 game win streaks, respectively.
 
The Series vs. Central Connecticut State
This series has become much more competitive over the last two season with the team's splitting the last four meetings. Prior to that, RMU had won 13 of 14 and own an 18-13 edge in the all-time series. The Colonials are 12-3 at home against the Blue Devils.
 
Coach Sal Collects 200th Victory
Sal Buscaglia recroded his 200th victory as the head coach at Robert Morris with a 77-58 win at LIU Brooklyn (2.9.15). Now 200-161 in his 12th season at RMU, Buscaglia is just 11 wins away from the team record of 211 victories held by Dan Swalga (1978-199) in 13 seasons. Buscaglia has more 20 win seasons, NEC championships, and postseason tournament berths than the program's other four coaches combined.
 
Hot Shots
It should come as no surprise that the Colonials nine-game win streak coincides with team's nine best shooting performances of the season. RMU is hitting at a 47.5% clip (246-518) during the streak, including 41.7% (83-199) from three-point range.
 
Musket Shots
> Anna NIki Stamolamprou is the NEC Player of the Week and Megan Smith is the Rookie of the Week
> RMU is shooting 47.5% (246-518) in the last nine games, including 41.7% (83-199) on three-pointers
> Robert Morris has clinched a playoff appearance, the team's 10th berth in 12 seasons under Sal Buscaglia
> The Colonials have had 10 or more players reach the scoring column in 10 games this season
> Ashley Ravelli has moved into fifth all-time at Robert Morris with 143 career three-pointers
> Anna Niki Stamolamprou is 13th nationally shooting 44.6% (62-139) on three-pointers and 33rd making 2.70 per game
> At 8.0 three-pointers made per game, RMU leads the NEC and is 19th in the nation in three-pointers per game
> Robert Morris has won 14 consecutive NEC home games and 17 straight home games against conference opponents
> RMU is 117-33 (.780) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 80-15 (.842) in NEC games
> The Colonials underclassmen average 52.0 points per game, accounting for 78.3 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 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
> 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
 
The Bench Delivers
The Robert Morris bench, which has been phenomenal all season, took it to another level against Fairleigh Dickinson (2.2.15) by scoring 42 points. It was the fourth time this season the bench accounted for more than 30 points and 12th time it delivered more than 20 points.
 
Defensive Minded
Robert Morris leads the NEC in defensive field goal percentage holding opponents to 38.5 percent. RMU is third in points allowed at just 64.8 per game and is second in the league with 86 blocks, averaging 3.74 per game.
 
Fantastic Four
Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who wears number four, is 13th in the nation shooting 44.6% on three-pointers this season. She made seven in a 28-point performance against Bryant, the third-most threes ever by a Colonials player.
 
10 Tickle the Twine
The Colonials had 10 different players find the scoring column 10 times this season. RMU has had 10 players score in six games, 11 players in three games and 12 players once against Cornell.
 
Underclassmen Scoring
RMU has received tremendous offensive output from its eight underclassmen with sophomores and freshmen accounting for 78.3 percent of the team's scoring tallying 52.0 points per game. The sophomore class scores 32.6 points a game and the rookie class tacks on 19.4 points. Juniors and seniors combine to score 14.4 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 6.3 minutes per game and the bench delivers 21.8 points per game. Everyone is averaginag at least 2.4 points per game and 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 117-33 (.780) in home games, including an even more impressive 80-15 (.842) 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 12-0 in such situations this season. All-time, RMU is 490-0 when leading at the final whistle.
 
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 11-player Robert Morris roster features eight underclassmen and just three 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.