Baltimore, Md. – Despite a slow start, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team finished its non-conference slate on a positive note, using tenacious defense to defeat Morgan State University, 58-44, this afternoon from Hill Field House.
Robert Morris (5-6, 0-0 NEC) held its opponent to under 30 percent shooting for the second time this season as Morgan State (2-7, 0-0 NEC) could only convert at a 27.1 percent rate. The Colonial offense fed off the effort on the other end of the floor, sinking 24-of-42 attempts from the field for a percentage of 57.1.
"We didn't play our best basketball early on," said first-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We need to come out of the game and execute the game plan better at the start. I was proud of the team for responding so well to the adjustments we made."
Both teams were sloppy in the opening quarter as they combined for 19 turnovers (11 RMU, 8 MSU) and burned a total of three timeouts. The inconsistency continued into the second frame, before an old fashioned three-point play from freshman center Nneka Ezeigbo seemed to wake the Colonials up.
Ezeigbo's and-one sparked a 13-2 RMU run to close the half. Senior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou continued the stretch with a jumper in the paint, and then dished it off to the rookie center on a drive for two. Tykyrah Williams stopped the Colonial run briefly with a bucket and a foul shot, but freshman forward Nadège Pluviose responded with a three-point play to make it 25-22. Another Pluviose layup pulled the visitors within one, and Stamolamprou split a pair of foul shots to tie it up after 20 minutes.
"When things don't go your way early on, you have to be able to push through those moments of adversity, said Buscaglia. "I got after them [at halftime] about how much we could be better defensively. We pride ourselves on defense and as a coaching staff we're really drilling that component. The turnovers that we caused and the steals we created, a lot of that was because of what we talked about at halftime. A game plan is only as good as your players executing it, and they executed it down the stretch."
RMU's momentum swing continued into the third quarter as it scored on nine of its first 11 possessions in the second half. Stamolamprou scored six of her team-high 13 points during that stretch, while Brown converted a pair of fastbreak layups. The visitors outscored the Bears in the frame, 19-10, and never looked back after grabbing its first lead since the opening minute of the game.
"Keeping the ball in front of us was a big focus," said Buscaglia. "Contesting all shots, walling up in the post, and rebounding – those are all things that we believe in. This was a very similar team to Howard, who we saw earlier in the year, because of how well they crash the boards. We were able to shoot gaps and get steals, and digging on the ball when they were in front of us. You see how many shots from the outside they had to take that were contested – that kind of stuff makes me really happy. I love seeing our team forcing tough shots and getting stops that way."
Stamolamprou added six rebounds to her 13-point performance and became the 20th member in program history of the 500 rebound club. Brown also met an individual milestone, reaching the 200-assist marker with a helper in the fourth quarter.
The Colonials had four players in double-figure scoring with Ezeigbo (11), Pluviose (10), and junior forward Megan Smith (10) joining Stamolamprou. Ezeigbo's 11 points matched her career-high, while Pluviose's 10 in 10 minutes marked the second consecutive game she has reached double-digits.
Robert Morris begins Northeast Conference (NEC) play with a rematch of the 2016 NEC Championship Game as the Colonials travel to Sacred Heart University on Thursday, Dec. 29. The Colonials and Pioneers are set for a 1:00 p.m. opening tip.
