ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN TERRIERS
2015 Northeast Conference Tournament presented by NRG Home Solar - Championship
Sunday, March 15, 2015 | 1:00 p.m. | Moon Township, Pa. | Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056)
 
The Capsule
The Robert Morris University women's basketball team returns to the Northeast Conference Tournament Championship for the second straight season, and the eighth time overall, when they host St. Francis Brooklyn in a 1:00 p.m. game at the Charles L. Sewall Center Sunday, March 15. The game will be aired live on ESPNU as the Colonials look for their third win of the season against the Terriers.
 
The Series vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
The Colonials are 40-17 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn, including a 2-1 mark against the Terriers in NEC Playoff games. Robert Morris won both meetings this season and are 4-3 against St. Francis Brooklyn over the last seven games.
 
Postseason Prizewinners
A trio of Colonials players received post-season accolades from the coaches. Anna Niki Stamolamprou was named to the All-NEC First Team honors. Mikalah Mulrain and Megan Smith both earned spots on the All-Rookie team, the third consecutive season they have had two members on the league's all-rookie squad.
 
NEC History Happening & On The Line
Never before has the NEC men's and women's basketball title game featured the same two teams like RMU and St. Francis Brooklyn this season. The same school has not held the NEC Tournament title since 1995 when Mount St. Mary's both won the league tourney.
 
Musket Shots
> RMU is 121-34 (.781) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 83-16 (.838) in NEC games
> The Colonials are 16-1 all-time in home playoff games including 14 straight wins dating back to 1996
> Robert Morris has had two All-Rookie teams selections in each of the last three seasons
> Anna Niki Stamolamprou is 10th nationally shooting 42.9% on three-pointers and 45th making 2.55 per game
> Stamolamprou's 79 three-pointers this season are teid for second in RMU single season history
> The Colonials underclassmen average 52.6 points per game, accounting for 79.0 percent of the team's scoring
> The Colonials have had 10 or more players reach the scoring column in 12 games this season
> Ashley Ravelli is fifth all-time at Robert Morris with 150 career three-pointers
> At 7.8 three-pointers made per game, RMU leads the NEC and is 25th in the nation
> Robert Morris is in the NEC playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons under Sal Buscaglia
> 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
Impressive QuarteRfinal Quantities
In the quarterfinal game against Fairleigh Dickinson, Rebeca Navarro tallied a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting while Anna Niiki Stamolamprou collected her first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. With eight assists, she nearly tallied a triple-double.
 
Chalk Talk
The Colonials went 28-34 (82.4%) from the chalk against Saint Francis U (2.28.15), the 10th most made free throws in team history. The also made more free throws in that game than they attempted in all but one game this season
 
Near Playoff Perfection At Home
Robert Morris is 15-1 all-time in home playoff games and is currently in the midst of a 13-game home playoff streak. The last time RMU lost a home playoff game was 1996 to LIU.
 
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 121-34 (.781) in home games, including an even more impressive 83-16 (.838) record against Northeast Conference opponents.
 
Record Three-Point Performance
The Colonials broke the team record for three-pointers in a season in the second half at Bryant (2.21.15). RMU now has 241 treys this season, surpassing the previous record of 203 set by the 2013-14 squad.
 
Fantastic Four
Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who wears number four, is 10th in the nation shooting 42.9% on three-pointers this season. She made seven in a 28-point performance against Bryant, the third-most threes ever by a Colonials player. Her 79 three-pointers this season are tied for second  in team annals.
 
That Seems Obvious
Robert Morris is 16-2 this season when outshooting its opponent and 15-2 when shooting 40 percent or better.
 
Streak Stopped
The third longest win streak in team history — 11 games — came to an end at Bryant (2.21.15) after lasting from Jan. 12 through Feb. 16. The 2009-10 squad rattled off 13 consecutive while the 2007-08 team had a record 17 game win streak.
 
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 205-164 in his 12th season at RMU, Buscaglia is just six wins away from the team record of 211 victories held by Dan Swalga (1978-1990) in 13 seasons. Buscaglia has more 20 win seasons, NEC championships, and postseason tournament berths than the program's other four coaches combined.
 
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. The Colonials bench has accounted for 30 or more points four times and 20 or more points 16 times.
 
Defensive Minded
Robert Morris leads the NEC in defensive field goal percentage holding opponents to 38.0 percent. RMU is third in points allowed at just 63.6 per game and is second in the league with 118 blocks, averaging 3.70 per game.
 
10 Tickle the Twine
The Colonials had 10 different players find the scoring column 11 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 79.0 percent of the team's scoring tallying 52.6 points per game. The sophomore class scores 32.0 points a game and the rookie class tacks on 20.6 points. Juniors and seniors combine to score 14.1 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. The team has had 12 three-pointers in three games this year.
 
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.
 
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 set by the 2012-13 and 98-99 squads.
 
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 17-0 in such situations this season. All-time, RMU is 495-0 when leading at the final whistle.
 
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.
 
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 and Lou Mataly 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.
 
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.