Women's Basketball | 11/10/2016 1:50:00 PM
GAME 1
Point Park (2-0) at Robert Morris (0-0)
Friday, November 11, 2016 • 10:00 a.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.
Video: RMUColonials.com • NECFrontRow.com
Video Talent: Adam Gusky (play-by-play), Justin Pyles (color commentary)
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: rmuwbasketball
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The Capsule
The Robert Morris University women's basketball team begins the 2016-17 campaign with some local flair, welcoming Point Park to The Chuck for a special 10:00 a.m. season opener on Friday, Nov. 11. The Colonials went 20-13 last season and return eight players from its Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament championship-winning squad, while the Pioneers own an overall mark of 2-0 with victories over Washington Adventist (D.C.) and Bluefield (Va.). RMU is one of two NCAA Division I teams that PPU, an NAIA school in the River States Conference, will be facing this year as the Pioneers travel to Youngstown State on Dec. 21.
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The Series vs. Point Park
Once a regular fixture in the early schedules of the Robert Morris program, this meeting will mark the 15th between the two teams and their first in 27 years. The Colonials have been victorious in all 14 previous tilts, last claiming a 79-56 win on Dec. 7, 1989 behind a 13-point effort from Rachel Mathena off the bench.
We Are the Champions, My Friends
Robert Morris enters the 2016-17 season with a familiar label attached: reigning NEC champions. The Colonials won their sixth NEC crown in March and advanced to their fourth NCAA Tournament; all appearances coming since the 2006-07 season.
A New, but Familiar Voice
After spending 13 seasons under his father,
Charlie Buscaglia enters his first season as head coach of the Colonials. Coach B, as he is respectfully called, has served as the associate head coach for eight seasons under Sal Buscaglia and was an assistant for the five seasons before that. A 2003 graduate of Manhattan College, Coach B has excelled on the recruiting trail during his career, bringing to Moon Township some of the program's all-time greats, such as Artemis Spanou, Angela Pace, and Sade Logan, among many others.
Musket Shots
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Robert Morris is 132-38 (.776) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 90-18 (.833) in NEC games
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The Colonials are 3-7 in their last 10 openers, but snapped a three-game skid last year against West Virginia Wesleyan
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Anna Niki Stamolamprou is one of 21 members of the program's 1,000-point club, having joined on Jan. 2 against Sacred Heart
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Sal Buscaglia retired after the 2015-16 season, leaving behind a legacy of success with a school record 224 victories, 712 career wins, and four NEC Tournament titles
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The Colonials return 74 percent of their scoring from last season, including five of their six leading scorers
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Know Your Enemy
Because Point Park has not been on the Colonials' schedule since the 1989-90 season, no current players have played against the Pioneers in their careers.
High Expectations
Robert Morris was selected to finish second in the NEC this season, according to a poll of the league's head coaches. The Colonials earned three first place votes and saw senior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou be named to her second consecutive Preseason All-NEC Team.
Can I Get An Encore?
The Robert Morris senior class of
Janee Brown,
Rebeca Navarro, and Anna Niki Stamolamprou have helped lead the program to a significant amount of success over their careers. Since their freshman seasons in 2013-14, the Colonials have gone 58-40 overall and 38-16 in NEC play, claiming two league tournament crowns, a regular-season championship, and three trips to the NEC Championship Game.
Decade of Dominance
From 2005-06 through 2015-16, Robert Morris posted a record of 139-59 (.702) in Northeast Conference play and won four regular season and four tournament titles. The Colonials have gone 202-144 (.584) over that span, reaching the 20-win barrier in six seasons.
Nationally Known
Robert Morris has played in a national tournament in seven of the last 10 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 and 2016.
Insurmountable Lead
Robert Morris has never lost a game in which it has held the lead at the end of the second half. The Colonials were 20-0 in such situations last season. All-time, RMU is 515-0 when leading at the final whistle.
