Moon Township, Pa. – A strong opening half lifted Saint Francis University over the Robert Morris University women's basketball team, 70-55, this afternoon in Northeast Conference (NEC) play from the Charles L. Sewall Center.
Robert Morris (8-9, 3-3 NEC) struggled with the Saint Francis U (8-9, 5-1 NEC) press, falling behind 42-18 after the end of 20 minutes. The Colonials managed to outdo their first half offensive total with 19 points in the third quarter, but 27 total turnovers and a 25 percent shooting performance in opening two quarters was too much to overcome.
"We sleepwalked into the game and that's unacceptable," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "Passion and unity are two of the biggest words we try to play by, and we didn't have that today at all. We didn't want to take care of the ball, we lacked accountability, and that's what happens when you play a team that smells blood like that. We have to learn from this experience."
RMU chipped away at the deficit in the fourth quarter, starting with a pair of layups from Nneka Ezeigbo. SFU's Courtney Zezza canceled one of the buckets with a jumper, but a Janee Brown free throw and layup from Anna Niki Stamolamprou swung the momentum back in the Colonials' favor.
Ja'Lynn Burton-Jones then picked the pocket off Jessica Kovatch on the next possession and went coast-to-coast for a layup to make it 63-46. The run closed at 10-2 after a Smith bucket and Brown foul shot, as Katie Reese drained a three with 2:10 remaining to put an end to RMU's comeback hopes.
Kovatch, who had 21 of her game-high 24 points in the first half and reached the 1,000-point plateau in the second quarter, began the game with a layup. Smith answered with a basket on the other end, but that would be the hosts' only points until the 1:37 mark of the frame when Rebeca Navarro buried a trey to stop an 11-0 run. Zezza made it 15-5 in the closing stages of the stanza; however, Smith drained a trifecta at the buzzer to make it a seven-point difference after one.
The deficit became six following a Nadège Pluviose free throw, but the Red Flash followed that up with a 14-2 stretch to take control of the game. RMU's next two buckets had immediate answers, and Kovatch made a pair of threes to push the gap to 20-plus points.
"We didn't have anyone getting in the huddle and making sure that [a SFU run] wasn't going to start," said Buscaglia. "It went on too long and I used all my timeouts trying to help, but I've got players out there who have been through conference tournaments and championships, and we should know how to come out prepared mentally."
Smith led the Colonials with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Stamolamprou added 13 points – all coming in the second half – and eight rebounds.
RMU tied a season-high by forcing 24 turnovers as Brown and Mikalah Mulrain each tallied three steals.
Robert Morris continues a three-game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1:00 p.m. against Bryant University.
