Dover, Del. – Another strong performance in the fourth quarter lifted the Robert Morris University women's basketball team to its third straight victory, a 65-42 win over Delaware State in the Colonials' final road non-conference test of the season.
Robert Morris (5-3, 0-0 NEC) led wire-to-wire and outscored Delaware State (1-6, 0-0 MEAC), 18-6, over the final 10 minutes. The Colonials held the Hornets to 27.7 percent shooting (13-47) from the floor and owned a 48-30 edge in the rebounding department.
"When we come out and set the tone defensively, we're able to grab a lead early on," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We weren't completely where we need to be on that end, but we started to get a bit better as the game went on. Once we started to get one-and-dones and keep them off the glass, that's when we started to build and everything seemed to springboard.
"There was a lot of focus when it came to the game plan. (Delaware State) played a lot of BCS, Power 5 teams and they hung in there for a while with them. We really focused in on keeping them on the perimeter and closing the gaps. We weren't just boxing out, but we also pursued the ball well."
Megan Smith again came close to her fifth career double-double, collecting team-highs in points (19) and rebounds (9). Nneka Ezeigbo and Jocelynne Jones added 10 points each for RMU on the offensive end, with Jones tallying four steals defensively.
"(Megan Smith) took what the defense gave her," said Buscaglia. "We don't go into games forcing the issue and as the game went on, we had a nice flow and got some good looks. Our guards did a great job at driving and freeing her up, and she did a good job at reading the defense when it was there. It was a good all-around effort."
Smith scored four of the game's first eight points to lift the Colonials to an early 8-1 lead. The hosts carried that momentum through the first quarter by dominating in the paint, holding a 10-0 difference there, to carry a 22-9 advantage into the second stanza.
DSU responded by going on a 6-0 run early in the second quarter, cutting the gap to five points. That remained between five and 10 points for the remainder of the stanza, then a Syonah Williams jumper to start the third quarter made it 34-30 in favor of the visitors.
Two and a half minutes later, RMU was clinging to a five-point advantage after an Alycea Sharpe trifecta. Jones responded with a backdoor layup off a feed from Honoka Ikematsu, then the freshman point guard drilled a three to stretch the lead to 10. The difference remained in double-digits until a Lanayjha Ashe jumper to start the fourth, making it 47-38 with 9:39 to play.
The Hornets were held without a point for the next five minutes as the Colonials stretched their advantage to 18 points, thanks to buckets by Smith, Jones, Nina Augustin, and Nadège Pluviose. Smith added a three and layup late to establish a new season-high in scoring, while a Pluviose layup put the finishing touches on another win.
RMU has now matched its non-conference win total from last season with three home bouts remaining.
DSU is the second Colonial opponent to be held under 30 percent shooting, joining Northern Kentucky on Nov. 21.
Robert Morris returns to the North Athletic Complex on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1:00 p.m. when it hosts Lafayette.
