Moon Township, Pa. – Sophomore guard Rebeca Navarro scored a career high and sophomore guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou nearly recorded a triple-double as the Robert Morris University women's basketball team ran away from Fairleigh Dickinson, 89-61, in the Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at the Charles L. Sewall  Sunday afternoon. The Colonials, now 16-14 overall, shot a season-best 54.4% (31-57) en route to their best point total on the year.
 
"I give all the credit in the world to FDU. They came out very strong and played a very good first 30 minutes of the game," said 12th-year RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia. "They took it to us and really showed no fear. You have to give credit to [FDU head] Coach Pete Cinella for having his kids ready. They shot the ball extremely well.
 
"On the other hand, our kids matched everything they did in the first half, their good shooting as well. We really came out with the energy and sense of urgency that we've been trying to teach this young team throughout the year. Today, all 11 [players] came out with passion, energy and a sense of urgency."
 
Navarro finished with 23 points, going 8-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe, but it was the way she did it that was most impressive. A shooting guard who came into the game with 39 three-pointers, Navarro did not hit a three in the game, instead scoring with a variety of drives and post-up moves. It was reflective of the Colonials as a whole.
 
"I'm a shooter, so 23 points without a three-pointer was weird," said Navarro. "When other teams know you're a shooter, they press you more and you have to expand your game. In this case, I knew I had an advantage driving to basket based on the scouting report, so I knew I had to take those opportunities."
 
Robert Morris led the NEC in three-pointers and three-point percentage this season, but hit just 5-of-15 attempts Sunday. Instead, the Colonials went to work inside the arc going 26-42 (.619) on two-point attempts. All 11 Robert Morris players scored, the 11th time this season 10 or more players have found the scoring column.
 
Stamolamprou posted her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. She also tied her career high with eight assists, coming just two dimes shy of becoming the second player in Tournament history to record a triple-double. NEC All-Rookie team member Megan Smith chipped in with 12 points and Jolie Olingende highlighted a 32-point effort by the bench by tallying seven points and eight rebounds in just 12 minutes of action.
 
"It's not only today, it's always," said Stamolamprou of the bench performance. "The coaches do a great job rotating 11 players and that's impressive – not many teams in our conference do that. Today everybody gave energy, played with passion and came ready to play. You never know when you may have somebody in foul trouble, somebody gets injured, so all 11 of us always have to be ready to play."
 
Neither team could miss during the game's opening 20 minutes with the Knights converting at 56.0% and RMU doing slightly better at 58.6% percent. As a result of the tight play, the lead exchanged hands 11 times in opening frame with neither squad getting ahead by more than five points. Robert Morris would go into the break holding a 40-38 lead.
 
In the second half, Fairleigh Dickinson cooled off. The Colonials did not. The Knights used a 6-0 surge early in the second half to pull in front, 44-42. It was all RMU the rest of the way. The host squad converted at 50% in the second half while holding the Knights to just 7-of-32 shooting.
 
"We had our energy up and we executed our game plan the whole game. It wasn't just the second half. In the second half, we had more open lanes to drive, but it was our defense and our game plan for the whole game," said Stamolamprou.
 
A three-pointer by Smith started a 5-0 push that turned into a 15-4 Colonial run over the next six minutes that ended with seven straight RMU points.  Fueled by 10 points from Navarro and eight by Stamolamprou, the run reach 31-11 with 5:03 to play and pushed the lead to 18 points. Seven consecutive points over the final two minutes of the game gave RMU its biggest lead of the game, 89-60, with just 39 seconds to play.
 
Erika Livermore, a first-team All-NEC selection, finished with 19 points to lead Fairleigh Dickinson. Kelsey Cruz chipped in 18 points and Tiffany Grant added 11. The Knights wrap up their season at 10-20 overall.
 
The Colonials search for a sixth NEC Tournament title continues Wednesday, March 11, when they travel to #2 seed Bryant University for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. The Bulldogs advance to the semifinal round via 76-54 win over Mount St Mary's. The home team won each meeting between the squads in the regular season.