GAME 7
Robert Morris (3-3) at Florida International (0-4)
Sunday, November 27, 2016 • 2:00 p.m.
FIU Arena (5,000) • Miami, Fla.
FIU Thanksgiving Tournament

Live Video/Stats: FIUsports.com
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: rmuwbasketball
 
The Capsule
After falling 68-60 to Stetson on Friday on the opening day of the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament, the Robert Morris women's basketball team will play for third place against invitational host Florida International. The tilt between the Colonials and Golden Panthers is the fifth of the former's six-game road swing, which concludes on Dec. 1 at Delaware.
 

The Series vs. Florida International
Robert Morris has never played the Golden Panthers in their history. FIU becomes the third new opponent on the Colonials' schedule, joining Lafayette and Vanderbilt.

Scouting the Golden Panthers
Florida International has struggled to begin the 2016-17 season, dropping its first four games by an average of 20.0 points. However, freshman guard Alexis Gordon has adjusted to the college game quite well, leading the team in scoring at 13.8 points per contest. Gordon's colleague in the backcourt, sophomore Kristan Hudson, is at 11.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while owning the team lead in assists (16) and steals (10).

Last Time Out
A late surge pulled Robert Morris within six of Stetson, but the Colonials were ultimately defeated by the Hatters, 68-60. Megan Smith came two points shy of matching her career-high, sharing top scorer honors with Stetson's Britani Saunders with 21 points, while adding seven rebounds and three blocks. RMU shot 43.4 percent from the field, thanks mostly in part to a 9-of-14 fourth quarter performance.

Record Book Movement
With 18 points at Vanderbilt, senior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou moved past Kim Mong (1981-85) into sole possession of fifth place on the program's all-time scoring list. Stamolamprou now has 1,364 career points and is 36 shy of surpassing Sheri Horvath (1992-93, 94-97) for fourth place.

Shakema Sinks a Three
A big portion of RMU's offense comes from beyond the arc with junior guard Shakema Dashiell being one of the team's most consistent contributors from international waters. In the Colonials' last nine contests, Dashiell has made at least one three-pointer in seven of them and is riding a current streak of three straight games with a trifecta.

Nearly Perfect
Robert Morris converted all but one of its attempts from the line in its 62-51 win at Lafayette last Wednesday, making 13-of-14 free throws for a conversion rate of 92.9 percent. The last time the Colonials were perfect from the chalk was on Jan. 26, 2015 at Mount St. Mary's when they sank all 11 attempts in a 68-44 victory.

Smith Stars for RMU
Junior forward Megan Smith has been a big source of offense for the Colonials in their first six games, averaging a 15.0 points per contest while adding an per-game average of 8.0 rebounds. Smith, who posted her second career double-double against Point Park (19p, 13r), has been incredibly efficient, converting field goals at a 61.4 percent rate and has made 10 of her 18 attempts from beyond the arc.

Cleaning the Glass
Freshman center Nneka Ezeigbo has been a spark for the Colonials early in the season, particularly on the glass. In her first career start, Ezeigbo pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds at Kent State and is averaging a 7.5 caroms per contest, good for second on the team.
Tweet #ColonialPride