GAME 9
Lafayette Leopards (3-5) at Robert Morris Colonials (5-3)
Saturday, December 9, 2017 // 1:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – North Athletic Complex
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
Play-by-Play: Adam Gusky, Color Commentary: Justin Pyles

The Capsule
Winners of five of the last six, Robert Morris looks to continue its strong run of play on Saturday, Dec. 9 when it returns to Moon Township to kick off a three-game homestand against Lafayette. The Colonials are defeating teams by an average of 24.3 points during their three-game winning streak and have trimmed their points per game defense from 64.2 to 56.7.

NOTES: Lafayette @ Robert Morris (12.9.17)

The Opponent
Lafayette has been streaky in the early season, owning a 3-5 record heading into Saturday's matchup. The Leopards opened the campaign with three straight losses to La Salle, Saint Peter's, and Penn, before rattling off a trio of victories over Rider, LIU Brooklyn, and Cornell. Despite currently sitting on a two-game losing streak, Lafayette's defense has been strong by holding teams to 56.8 points per game and a .328 field goal percentage. Freshman forward Natalie Kucowski is averaging a double-double, posting averages of 11.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Anna Ptasinski is near double-figures scoring at 9.3 points per game, while first-year guard Olivia Martino is contributing 8.1 points per contest off the bench.

The Series
Overall: 1-0 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 1-0 | Streak: W1
Last Game: Robert Morris 62, Lafayette 51 (11.16.16)
 
The first and only meeting between Robert Morris and Lafayette happened last November, when the Colonials knocked off the Leopards in Easton, 62-51. Anna Niki Stamolamprou led RMU with 22 points, while Rebeca Navarro added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Megan Smith nearly posted a double-double in the victory, tallying nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
Last Time Out
Robert Morris ran its winning streak to three games with a 65-42 victory at Delaware State on Wednesday. The Colonials bookended the game in dominant fashion, opening up a 22-9 lead after one quarter before closing with a 18-6 difference in the fourth stanza. Megan Smith led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Jocelynne Jones and Nneka Ezeigbo each added 10.
 
Out-of-League Success
The Colonials' victory over Delaware State was their fifth of the season, matching the total in non-conference play from the 2016-17 team. With two victories over the next three games, RMU will tie the school record for out-of-league wins with seven, originally set in 1986-87.
 
Doing it with Defense
Delaware State couldn't solve the Robert Morris defense on Wednesday as the Hornets became the second team this season to be held under 30 percent shooting at 27.7 percent. RMU has now limited 10 opponents to a field goal percentage below .300 since 2016-17.
 
Fourth Quarter, Our Quarter
One of the biggest reasons for RMU's start to the season is the way it has closed out games. The Colonials own a +28 point difference in the fourth quarter, and have doubled up their opponents over the last three closing stanzas. That stretch includes differences of 27-10 over Youngstown State, 16-7 over Monmouth, and 18-6 over Delaware State.
 
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 11.2 points per game while ranking second in rebounding at 5.7 caroms per contest. Ezeigbo, who has been named NEC Player of the Week once this season, has tallied double-digit points in four of six 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: 958 points, 42 away from 1,000
Mulrain: 480 rebounds, 20 away from 500
 
The Streak Continues
Robert Morris extended its streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made to 143, 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 5-0 this season. All-time, RMU is 578-0 when leading at the final whistle.

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