Loretto, Pa. – A pair of runs in the second and fourth quarters helped the Robert Morris University women's basketball team push its winning streak to four games as it defeated Keystone State rival Saint Francis University, 70-68, this evening in Northeast Conference (NEC) action from DeGol Arena.
After trailing all of the first quarter, Robert Morris (12-9, 7-3 NEC) used an 18-2 edge over the last seven minutes of the first half to carry a 40-32 advantage into the break. Saint Francis U (11-10, 8-2 NEC) responded with a 23-10 difference in the third stanza to regain the lead, but the Colonials scored 18 of the game's final 25 points to come away with the victory.
"Saint Francis is playing very well right now and we weren't going to knock them down very easily," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We had to withstand their runs and be really tough at the end of the game. The team really stepped up today and put a brick into the foundation.
"This was a big brick for our foundation because we went on the road short-handed [without Megan Smith] and we needed to have younger players step up for us. We didn't play a perfect game all around, but we kept pushing and pushing and continued to grind, and at the end of the day we were able to pull ahead."
Anna Niki Stamolamprou led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting and a 5-of-10 performance from beyond the arc. Stamolamprou now has 1,623 points to her name, the second most in program history after she surpassed Laura Lindak (1989-94) for the position early in the third quarter.
"With [Anna Niki] moving up in the record book, it was to her just another win," said Buscaglia. "Beyond all of the numbers she's achieved, there's a lot of wins there. She's been involved in so much winning. Today's story says that she had another great milestone, but she's focused on the win. That's our culture."
Trailing 30-22 following a three-pointer by Jessica Kovatch on the fastbreak, RMU got a bucket from Mikalah Mulrain and a second from Ja'lynn Burton-Jones. The freshman guard then buried a trifecta on the next possession to trim the deficit to 30-29, and Stamolamprou sank a jumper with 4:53 left in the half to give the Colonials their first lead.
The run continued with three points from Mulrain and Stamolamprou trey. Another three-pointer by the senior guard widened the gap to double-digits, but a late bucket from Courtney Zezza stopped the bleeding for the Red Flash before the horn.
"Runs are going to happen in basketball," said Buscaglia. "The way [Saint Francis U] plays, they're very run-driven. We had to keep our composure and continue to grind, and if we kept playing with intelligence then we would be okay. We got some great looks at the end of the game thanks to our ball movement, and that's ultimately what got us this win."
The hosts followed their big third quarter by extended their lead to nine with 7:23 remaining. Shakema Dashiell answered with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and Mulrain's layup off a feed from Janee Brown made it 61-57 less than two minutes later. The junior center then blocked a Samiah Bethel drive on the other end, which led to a Brown jumper at the halfway mark of the frame.
Stamolamprou's jumper knotted the game up at 61 with 4:55 left, but Katie Reese had an answer with a big trey from the wing. Rebeca Navarro responded with a trifecta, sparking a 7-0 run for the visitors that put them ahead 68-64. After Zezza split a pair of free throws to make it a three-point difference, a pair of offensive boards by Nadège Pluviose and Mulrain extended the Colonials' final possession and led to a game-sealing jumper from Navarro with 10 seconds left.
Mulrain posted the fifth double-double of her career with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Navarro added 11 points and four assists, while Brown dished out six helpers – her most since Dec. 1 at Delaware.
Robert Morris continues a four-game road trip with a pair of games in the Big Apple, starting on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:00 p.m. against St. Francis Brooklyn.
