Women's Basketball | 1/22/2017 3:05:00 PM

GAME 19
Central Connecticut (7-11, 6-1 NEC) at Robert Morris (9-9, 4-3 NEC)
Monday, January 23, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.

Video: NECFrontRow.com • RMUColonials.com
Video Talent: Adam Gusky (play-by-play), Justin Pyles (color commentary)
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: rmuwbasketball
 
The Capsule
Robert Morris completes a three-game home stand on Monday, Jan. 23 when it welcomes Central Connecticut to The Chuck. The Colonials moved into a tie for fourth place in the NEC with their victory over Bryant on Saturday, while the Blue Devils saw their undefeated league mark ended in a defeat at Saint Francis U.
 


The Series vs. Central Connecticut
In most of their previous meetings, the home team between the Colonials and Blue Devils has seemed to come away with a victory. Robert Morris holds a 19-15 edge over Central Connecticut, thanks to a 13-game winning streak at The Chuck. The last meeting was in Moon Township and it was a 72-55 win in favor of the Colonials, thanks to a 50 percent shooting performance as a team and a 20-point performance from Anna Niki Stamolamprou.

Scouting the Blue Devils
Central Connecticut is in a three-way tie for first place in the NEC, owning a league record of 6-1. The Blue Devils are balanced offensively, with five players averaging at least 7.8 points per game. Senior guard Aleah Epps leads that group with 12.2 points per contest, while adding 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game as well. Fourth-year center Giocelis Reynoso is one of the conference's strongest post presences, as she ranks second in rebounding (9.1 RPG) and blocked shots (1.72 BPG), while tallying 7.8 points per game.
 
Know Your Enemy
Jocelynne Jones has averaged 8.3 points on 50 percent (14-28) shooting and 4.3 rebounds in four career contests against Central Connecticut. Jones' best performance came on Jan. 25 of last year when she poured in 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and added four rebounds and two steals. Janee Brown tallied 14 points against the Blue Devils as a freshman on Jan. 4, 2014, while Megan Smith scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds on Valentine's Day in her first season.

Last Time Out
A strong second half lifted Robert Morris over Bryant on Saturday by a score of 62-46. Holding a slight 19-18 lead at halftime, the Colonials outscored the Bulldogs, 44-29, over the final 20 minutes and shot 64.3 percent from the field during that stretch. RMU forced Bryant into 29 turnovers and tallied a season-high 16 steals in the victory.
 
Scorin' Stamolamprou
Senior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou is averaging a career-high 15.8 points per game in her final hurrah and on Saturday moved into third place on the program's all-time scoring list. Stamolamprou surpassed Elise James (1996-00) on the leaderboard and now has 1,570 points for her career. With 45 more points, Stamolamprou can reach second place, which is currently occupied by Laura Lindak (1989-94).
 
A New Home in 2019
On Thursday, Jan. 19, it was announced that the RMU basketball teams as well as the volleyball program will play their home contests at the UPMC Events Center come January 2019. The new facility will feature the 4,000-plus-seat Peoples Court, a practice court, and numerous other amenities. Construction on the venue is slated to begin this July.
 
Keeping an Identity
The Colonials have identified themselves as a strong defensive team in the past and this season is no different. RMU currently leads the NEC in scoring defense (60.2) and field goal defense (.378), and has held five teams to under 30 percent shooting - already surpassing its total of four from both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.
 
The Floor General
Senior guard Janee Brown has had a strong start to her final season in a Colonial uniform, owning a 1.55 assist-to-turnover ratio through the first 18 games. Brown (68a, 44t) currently leads the Northeast Conference, which hasn't been done since 2009-10 when Angela Pace topped the league with a 2.36 mark.

Musket Shots
In the Colonials' nine victories this season, they have held a lead going into the fourth quarter  ... Robert Morris has outscored teams in the second half by a total of 39 points  ... All 11 players scored for the Colonials in their win over LIU Brooklyn on Jan. 9, marking the first time that has happened since March 8, 2015 in the NEC Quarterfinals against Fairleigh Dickinson ... RMU returns 74 percent of its scoring from 2015-16, including five of its six leading scorers
 
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