Women's Basketball | 12/5/2017 4:59:00 PM

GAME 8
Delaware State Hornets (1-5) at Robert Morris Colonials (4-3)
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // 5:30 p.m. // Dover, Del. – Memorial Hall Gym
Live Video: Hornets Nest // Live Stats: DSUHornets.com

The Capsule
Robert Morris hits the road for its final away non-conference game on Wednesday, Dec. 6 against Delaware State. The Colonials have won four of their last five games, with a neutral-site loss to San Francisco being the lone blemish during this stretch. A victory over the Hornets would give RMU its fifth non-league win, matching the total from last season's NEC Championship team.

NOTES: Robert Morris @ Delaware State (12.6.17)

The Opponent
Delaware State sits at 1-5 overall, picking up a home victory over Longwood on Nov. 29. The Hornets also have suffered defeats to Temple (72-96), DePaul (71-110), Ole Miss (58-110), Kansas (49-81), and Drexel (52-73). Junior forward NaJai Pollard leads DSU with 20.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per contest and is shooting 51.6 percent (49-95) from the field. Fellow third-year guard A'Nikeyawna Barber and freshman guard Ryan Jones are averaging 7.3 points per game.

The Series
Overall: 1-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 1-1 | Streak: W1
Last Game: Robert Morris 75, Delaware State 67 (11.27.11)
 
Robert Morris and Delaware State have played twice, each claiming a win from the series. The Colonials were victorious in the teams' last meeting, defeating the Hornets, 75-67, to win the 2011 ECU Thanksgiving Classic. Artemis Spanou and Kelly Hartwell each tallied a game-high 20 points in the victory as RMU shot 50 percent (26-52) from the field. The first meeting also came at a neutral site, as DSU knocked off the Colonials in the 1989 Canisius Invitational, 70-67.
 
Coach B Weekly
In the sixth episode of Coach B Weekly, head coach Charlie Buscaglia recaps home victories over Youngstown State and Monmouth, discusses the recent success of Jocelynne Jones, talks about the reliability of Megan Smith, and previews the Colonials' final road non-conference game at Delaware State.

(link to come)

Last Time Out
Robert Morris used its suffocating defense to pick up another home non-conference victory on Sunday, defeating Monmouth, 56-38. The Colonials forced 27 turnovers, collected 11 steals, and held the Hawks to under 40 points - the third RMU opponent since last season to be limited to that number. Nneka Ezeigbo paced the Colonials with 12 points, while Megan Smith nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Keeping It 100
On Sunday against Monmouth, senior forward Megan Smith became just the fourth player in program history to start 100 games. Smith has appeared in the starting line in 100 of 101 contests over her four seasons, with a tilt against Duquesne on Dec. 14, 2014 being the lone outlier.
 
Turning the Hawks Over
RMU forced Monmouth into 27 turnovers on Sunday, the Colonials' 17th opponent to turn the ball over 20 or more times since last season. The 27 turnovers were the most for a RMU foe since Jan. 21 of this year when the Colonials forced Bryant into 29 mistakes in a 62-46 victory.
 
Protect Ya Nneka
Second-year center Nneka Ezeigbo has showed no signs of a sophomore slump thus far in 2017-18, leading the Colonials in scoring at 11.4 points per game while ranking second in rebounding at 5.8 caroms per contest. Ezeigbo, who has been named NEC Player of the Week once this season, has tallied double-digit points in three of five games and posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double at Cal Poly.
 
Milestone Watch
Megan Smith and Mikalah Mulrain are on pace to join some exclusive clubs this season. Smith is close to eclipsing 1,000 career points, while Mulrain is inching closer to 500 rebounds. Below is a look at how close they are to reaching these marks:
 
Smith: 939 points, 61 away from 1,000
Mulrain: 475 rebounds, 25 away from 500
 
The Streak Continues
Robert Morris extended its streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made to 142, which dates back to Feb. 18, 2013. The team record in that department is 285 consecutive games during a stretch from Jan. 7, 2002 to March 8, 2011.
 
Insurmountable Lead
Robert Morris has never lost a game in which it has held the lead at the end of the second half. The Colonials were 22-0 in such situations during the 2016-17 campaign and 4-0 this season. All-time, RMU is 577-0 when leading at the final whistle.

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