Easton, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball used an efficient three-point attack and a nearly-perfect effort from the line to defeat Lafayette College, 62-51, this evening in non-conference action from the Kirby Sports Center.
Senior guards Anna Niki Stamolamprou and Rebeca Navarro spearheaded Robert Morris' (2-1, 0-0 NEC) three-point barrage, combining to go 7-of-13 from distance. As a team, the Colonials went 9-for-20 (45.0%) and made all but one of their 14 attempts from the line (92.9%).
"During the game we felt we could do some good things from behind the arc," said first-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "So it was more of an adjustment where we felt we could get some clean looks from the perimeter. The players had to knock them down and they did."
Neither team could get into a flow during a sloppy first quarter, which saw a total of 15 combined fouls called. RMU found its rhythm just past the halfway mark of the second frame, starting with two free throws from freshman forward Nadège Pluviose.
Pluviose's pair was followed up by a jumper from junior forward Jocelynne Jones, but answered with a Lafayette (1-2, 0-0 PL) layup. Stamolamprou then took over, drilling trifectas on back-to-back possessions to up the Colonial advantage to 27-20. That difference would settle at seven going into halftime as a basket from freshman center Nneka Ezeigbo was cancelled out by two Nia Holland foul shots.
After the Leopards claimed the first bucket of the third quarter, Navarro answered with a five-point run of her own to push the gap to double-digits. Stamolamprou made two free throws after a Lafayette jumper, and Navarro cashed in on a steal from senior guard Janee Brown with a layup on the fastbreak. After the media timeout, junior forward Megan Smith sank a pair of freebies and a trifecta, and Brown hit from deep as well as RMU extended its lead to a game-high 20 points at 46-26.
The hosts chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to 13 before a Stamolamprou jumper from the top of the key closed the quarter. The gap hovered around 12-17 points for the majority of the closing stanza, before some Leopard free throws set the final score.
"It was a hard fought victory," said Buscaglia. "It wasn't the prettiest game we could play, but I really enjoyed watching the effort and the hustle. Causing 27 turnovers was a good testament to responding on the defensive end today."
Stamolamprou led all scorers with 22 points, registering her 17th career 20-point performance in her first start of the season. Navarro added 13 on 5-of-9 shooting, while Smith came a point shy of a double-double with nine tallies and 10 rebounds.
"[Stamolamprou] is a tough person," said Buscaglia. "She's one of those kind of players that it takes a lot to keep her down and she's done everything she could do to get back in here and be back at full speed. I'm enjoying watching her go out there and perform like a senior, and today was one of those examples."
Brown dished out five assists and swiped five passes. The Colonials as a team forced Lafayette in 27 turnovers and only allowed the hosts to tally four helpers.
Sammy Stipa led the Leopards with 13 points, while Maia Hood added 11 off the bench.
Robert Morris continues a six-game road swing on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2:00 p.m. against Kent State.
