Fairfield, Conn. – Behind one of its most efficient offensive displays in program history, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team completed a perfect road trip to open Northeast Conference (NEC) play, defeating Sacred Heart, 91-57, this afternoon from the William H. Pitt Center.
Robert Morris (9-4, 2-0 NEC) shot 61.4 percent (35-57) from the floor, its highest mark since Feb. 19, 2007 when it made 63.9 percent of its field goal attempts in a 95-50 win over Wagner, and second-best effort in program history. The Colonials also scored 90 points in an NEC game for the first time since Feb. 10, 2014, when it defeated Sacred Heart (4-9, 0-2 NEC), 90-66, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Additionally, today's 34-point margin of victory topped the aforementioned win as the program's largest against the Pioneers.
"We did a good job at reading the defense and taking what they gave us," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We played with a lot of intelligence and picked up our passion. Overall, the reason why we flowed so well offensively was because we played with a lot of poise and focus, and we were ready to serve each other."
Two days after lighting up Fairleigh Dickinson for a career-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Honoka Ikematsu topped that performance with 25 points on 8-of-13 field goals and 7-of-10 from distance. Ikematsu scored 14 of her 25 points in the second half, adding six rebounds and three assists to top off an impressive weekend.
Mikalah Mulrain collected 16 points and eight rebounds for RMU, joining Ikematsu, Jocelynne Jones (14), Megan Smith (11), and Nneka Ezeigbo (10) in double-figures scoring.
"Mikalah (Mulrain) got into a good groove there and she played with a great fire," said Buscaglia. "You could see the determination in her today, and when she's showing that she can have special days. When you're a senior, people tend to think you are what you are. I don't believe in that whatsoever. No matter how much we've been playing or how much experience we have, we can always get a little bit better. Today was a great example of her playing passionately."
The Colonials took control of the game four minutes in by locking down on defense. Over the following 11:40, the Pioneers were held without a field goal as RMU stretched its lead from 10-6 to 30-18. For a whole, SHU shot just 28.0 percent (14-50) from the floor, becoming the third opponent to be held under 30 percent shooting this season.
"We did a great job at communicating with each other on the actions," said Buscaglia. "I told the team before the game, 'good defenders will react to the actions defensively. Great defenders will anticipate after the action.' We did a good job today for the most part at anticipating."
After a Katherine Haines layup ended the Pioneers' field goal drought, a pair of Ezeigbo buckets pushed the gap to 16 points. Four points by Tykera Carter on the next two SHU possessions made it 34-22, but Smith answered with a trifecta from the wing, giving her 1,000 points for her career. The senior forward is the 23rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
"When I told (Megan Smith) in the lockerroom that she reached 1,000 (career points), she had a big smile on her face," remarked Buscaglia. "I told her that getting 1,000 points the way she plays means a lot. Some student-athletes will shoot the ball a ton to score 1,000. When you play the way Megan plays based on reading the defense and good shot selection, that really means something. I was really proud of her because her 1,000 points came from some good quality shots."
RMU finished the game by shooting 90.9 percent (10-11) in the fourth quarter.
Adrianne Hagood led the Pioneers with 20 points, while Carter added 19 for the hosts.
The win was the Colonials' first on the road at Sacred Heart in the regular season since March 3, 2008 (W, 66-52).
Robert Morris returns home for a three-game home stand across two different venues. The Colonials kick off the New Year on Saturday, Jan. 6 when it hosts LIU Brooklyn for a 1:00 p.m. tip at PPG Paints Arena. RMU returns to the North Athletic Complex on Monday, Jan. 8 at 7:00 p.m. against St. Francis Brooklyn.
