Hackensack, N.J. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team held a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter at Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday afternoon. By the end of the final quarter, the Knights had outscored the Colonials 23-3 to take a 60-52 win in a Northeast Conference game at Stratis Arena. RMU slips to 14-10 and 8-5 in the NEC while the Knights move to 10-16 and 7-6 in conference play.
 
Jocelynne Jones led the Colonials in scoring off the bench, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds. She was 6-of-8 from the field and had 10 points and eight boards in the first half. Anna Niki Stamolamprou tacked on 10 points for a balanced RMU attack that featured nine different scorers.
 
"People talk about shooting. The game is much more than that," said RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia. "You have to rebound and get stops, especially down the stretch. We did not execute our offense – we did not read, pass and catch or get the ball inside. It's a very disappointing loss after three straight wins. We have to know how to win and how to handle it. With only five games to go, we should be there and know these things already."
 
The Colonials carried a 12-point lead into the final quarter after outscoring the host Knights 20-12 in the third. The first seven points of the fourth quarter belonged to the Knights and it was a sign of things to come. Mikalah Mulrain hit the only field goal of the quarter for RMU with 6:19 left to play.
 
From there, FDU would finish the game on a 16-1 run turning a seven-point deficit into a 60-52 vicotry over the game's final six minutes. Kelsey Cruz finished with a game-high 23 points with 17 of those coming in the fourth quarter. She tallied seven straight to tie the game before Mulrain put RMU back on top, 52-51, at the 3:26 mark with a free throw. Cruz responded with a trey and the Knights hit 6-of-6 from the chalk in the final 23 seconds to take a 60-52 win.
 
Robert Morris went on an 11-1 run midway through the first quarter with Jones providing the spark off the bench. She buried a pair of jumpers and helped force five turnovers by the Knights during the 4:47 stretch.  The surge erased a one-point deficit and left the Colonials holding a 16-7 lead.
 
The Colonials, behind Jones, stretched their lead to as many as 10 points when Lou Mataly splashed a trey from the left corner with 5:07 left in the half. The next eight points, however, went to the Knights before Leah Wormack hit a jumper in the paint as the first half expired. RMU carried a four-point, 29-25, lead into the break.
 
The Colonials return to the hardwood Monday, February 15, when they travel to Fairfield, Conn., for a 7:00 p.m. game at Sacred Heart.