Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team put together its most complete effort of the early season, dominating in all facets of the game in an 84-52 victory over Youngstown State this evening from the North Athletic Complex.
Robert Morris (3-3, 0-0 NEC) shot 57.9 percent (33-57) from the floor and owned a 40-18 rebounding advantage over Youngstown State (2-4, 0-0 Horizon League). The Colonials also dished out 19 assists, held the Penguins to 36.7 percent (18-49) on field goals, and collected 11 steals in the win.
"Our defense coming out wasn't strong," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We got a little lazy early on in the game and (Youngstown State) was hitting shots. That block by Jocelynne Jones out at the arc (in the fourth quarter) really catapulted us going forward. I was most proud of the response down the stretch defensively to keep grinding and hold them to one-and-dones, which turned into a nice flow offensively."
The 57.9 percent shooting performance was the fifth best in program history, nearly matching the 58.2 percent fourth-place effort last season at Wagner (Jan. 14, 2017).
All nine players that saw time for the Colonials made the scoresheet, with each ranging from six to 15 points. It was a balanced and efficient effort, led by Jocelynne Jones' 15-point, eight-rebound performance. Jones also swiped four passes, becoming the 16th player in program history to eclipse 100 steals in a career.
"(Jocelynne) played very inspired," said Buscaglia. "We always talk about passion – that's one of our pillars – and she had a lot of passion tonight. Some of her takes to the basket tonight were what we see in practice. We tell her, 'keep going hard and keep your head up, it's going to happen.' Today was a day she really made it happen."
Also reaching double-figures in scoring for RMU was Mikalah Mulrain (11), Megan Callahan (10), and Honoka Ikematsu (10). Mulrain was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, while Callahan and Ikematsu combined to make 4-of-5 trifectas.
The opening minutes of the game suggested an offensive shootout, with the Penguins matching the Colonials shot for shot. After Callahan made a pair of foul shots to give RMU an 11-7 advantage, back-to-back threes by Alison Smolinski and Indiya Benjamin put YSU ahead, 13-11. The lead switched hands four different times after that, before RMU burned a timeout with 1:46 left in the first quarter, trailing 18-19.
That break seemed to shore up the hosts on the defensive end. Nina Augustin swiped the ball from Benjamin on the Penguins' next possession, leading to a Nneka Ezeigbo layup, and another turnover turned into a Laura Carrasco jumper to put RMU in front, 22-19, after one.
YSU hung around for most of the second quarter, pulling within three with 4:07 to play in the half after two Nikki Arbanas foul shots. However, three-pointers by Callahan and Augustin, and a bucket for Megan Smith extended the Colonial advantage to 38-27.
RMU continued to hold serve, keeping the gap between nine and 15 points for all of the third quarter. Owning a 13-point edge with 6:47 to play, the Colonials closed the game out in spectacular fashion by going on a 17-0 run to complete a 32-point win – their fourth 30-point victory since Buscaglia took over last season.
Robert Morris looks to keep the ball rolling at home this Sunday, Dec. 3 when it hosts Monmouth for a 1:00 p.m. opening tip.
