Women's Basketball | 11/15/2016 9:45:00 AM

GAME 3
Robert Morris (1-1) at Lafayette (1-1)
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 • 7:00 p.m.
Kirby Sports Center (2,644) • Easton, Pa.

Video: PatriotLeagueTV.com
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: rmuwbasketball
 
The Capsule
A six-game road swing begins for the Robert Morris women's basketball team on Wednesday night as it opens up the stretch against Lafayette. The Colonials' trip will carry through the remainder of November into December and consists of stints in five different states (Delaware, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee). After splitting its first two home games this past weekend, RMU doesn't return to the Charles L. Sewall Center until Dec. 4 when it hosts Howard.
 


The Series vs. Lafayette
This will be the Colonials' first meeting with the Leopards. Lafayette is one of three new opponents for RMU this season, along with Vanderbilt on Nov. 22 and either Florida International or Weber on Nov. 27.

Scouting the Leopards
Lafayette returns home after opening the season on the road, splitting a pair of contests with La Salle (56-49) and Rider (58-76). Junior guard Anna Ptasinski leads the team with 10.0 points per game, while freshman forward Olivia Gumbs is averaging nine points and eight rebounds per contest. The Leopards have done an excellent job cleaning the glass in the early going, holding a plus-9.5 rebound margin.

Last Time Out
Robert Morris concluded its two-game, season-opening home stand on a sour note, falling to Monmouth on Sunday, 69-56. Megan Smith led the Colonials with 13 points, while Anna Niki Stamolamprou scored 11 off the bench in her first action of the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Smith Stars for RMU
Junior forward Megan Smith has been the Colonials' go-to scorer in their first two games, averaging a team-best 16.0 points per contest while adding an per-game average of 10.0 rebounds. Smith, who posted her second career double-double against Point Park (19p, 13r), has been incredibly efficient, converting field goals at a 54.2 percent rate and has made five of her six attempts from beyond the arc.

Cleaning the Glass
Freshman center Nneka Ezeigbo has been a spark off the bench for the Colonials early in the season, particularly on the glass. Ezeigbo pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds against Monmouth on Sunday and is averaging 8.0 caroms per contest.

Senior Start
Senior guard Janee Brown kicked off her final season in a Colonial uniform with a bang, establishing a new career-high for points with 19 against Point Park. Brown, who added a team-leading seven assists to her resume, went 4-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-10 from the stripe.
 
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
> Robert Morris is 133-39 (.773) at the Sewall Center since 2004-05, including 90-18 (.833) in NEC games
> The Colonials won back-to-back season openers for the first time since 2005-06, when they rattled off three consecutive opening day victories
> Anna Niki Stamolamprou is one of 21 members of the program's 1,000-point club, having joined on Jan. 2 against Sacred Heart
> 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
> The Colonials return 74 percent of their scoring from last season, including five of their six leading scorers

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