Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team held St. Francis Brooklyn without a field goal for over six minutes in the second half, pulling away for a 62-53 win at the Pope Center in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., Saturday afternoon. The fifth-straight victory gives the Colonials a 3-0 mark in Northeast Conference play and a 9-5 record overall. St. Francis Brooklyn slips to 3-11 and remains winless through three league contests.
 
Rebeca Navarro led the team with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting including a 2-of-4 mark from long range. Megan Smith dominated with the third quarter with eight points and finished with 11 points. She went 7-of-8 from the chalk and tacked on seven rebounds and three assists.
 
"When you get a road win in conference play, that's something very positive. As we know, in any sport, playing on the rod is a difficult challenge," said 13th year RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia. "I think initially, we pressed ourselves too much, and I think we weren't controlling our emotions and were putting too much pressure on ourselves. Once we made some strategic adjustments and got our emotions in check, I felt good about our play.
 
"Something positive, out of a negative, is that we shot the ball poorly and still won. That just goes to show that scoring the basketball doesn't necessarily equate to wins. You have to do other things – make stops, defend and make other people perform. Megan Smith did well from the free throw line and I felt our inside game really hurt them down the stretch."
 
When Cassidy Derda hit a long jumper with 1:15 to play in the third quarter, it brought the Terriers to within six points. RMU held St. Francis without a field goal for the next 6:13. On the other end of the floor, Robert Morris was able to stretch their lead to a game-high 12 points, 56-44, on a lay-in by Mikalah Mulrain with 5:42 to play. The Terriers were unable to get any closer than six points down the stretch as the Colonials held on for the nine-point win.
 
The Colonials hit a trio of trifectas, two by open play, two by Navarro sandwiched a Stamolamprou bomb and put RMU on top, 10-6. A 7-0 push by the Terriers gave them their first lead of the game, 13-12, at 2:16 before the teams would eventually head into the second quarter tied, 17-17.
 
RMU again looked to seize control with five early points to take a 24-19 lead on an traditional three-point play by Mikalah Mulrain and driving lay-in from Stamolamprou. St. Francis recovered and took the lead, 28-27, on a Tori Wagner lay-up. Janee Brown tallied a lay-up on the other end and Robert Morris took the lead into half, 31-30, thanks to a 15-foot pull up from Ashley Ravelli.
 
A three-pointer by Lou Mataly, her only points of the game, started a 7-0 run that consisted of two free throws each by Navarro and Smith. The final two from the chalk by Smith was the start of six consecutive points by the sophomore forward.
 
Robert Morris remains in in Brooklyn for the weekend making the short trip down Fulton Street to take on LIU Brooklyn Monday, Jan. 11, at 7:00 p.m.