Moon Township, Pa. – Dominance in the second half helped lead the Robert Morris University women's basketball team to a comfortable 74-41 victory over Wagner this afternoon on Senior Day, as the Colonials extended their winning streak to seven games.
Robert Morris (15-9, 10-3 NEC) outscored Wagner (3-21, 2-11 NEC) in the second half, 37-16, after carrying a 12-point lead into the halftime break. The Colonials shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the floor over the final 20 minutes, compared to the Seahawks' 23.8 percent (5-of-21) effort.
RMU's 15th victory clinches a spot into the 2017 NEC Tournament – its 12th appearance over the last 13 seasons – and set a new program record as head coach Charlie Buscaglia surpassed Dan Swalga (14, 1978-79) for the most wins in a coach's first season on the sidelines.
"I was proud of our team today for finding our rhythm and pace," said Buscaglia. "I thought Wagner did a good job on changing defenses and making us uncomfortable early. We did a great job keeping at it defensively when shots weren't falling on the offensive end. As the game on we got better, and I like that."
The hosts never trailed in the contest, jumping ahead with a Janee Brown layup before expanding its advantage to 15-5 with 2:51 remaining in the first quarter. Wagner managed to trim the deficit to one twice in the second frame, but the Colonials went on a 9-0 run with buckets from Jocelynne Jones and Anna Niki Stamolamprou to push the gap to 10 points at 26-16.
Rebeca Navarro's jumper before the halftime buzzer made it 37-25, giving RMU more momentum heading into the break. A three-point play for Brown made it a 15-point difference, and after a pair of Corinn Baggs free throws, the Colonials rattled off 15 of the next 16 points to expand their lead to 55-28.
RMU didn't give an inch defensively in the fourth quarter, holding the Seahawks without a point over the final 7:18. Thanks to baskets from Brown, Jones, Stamolamprou, and Nia Adams during that timeframe, the Colonials turned a 23-point advantage into a 33-point one by setting the final at 74-41.
The hosts had three players in double-figure scoring, led by Navarro's 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Stamolamprou added 16 points and four steals, while Megan Smith tallied 12 points in just 18 minutes of play.
Brown, who entered the game as the NEC leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, tied a season-high with seven helpers. She also collected nine points and three steals, while committing just two errors on the afternoon.
As a team, the Colonials forced 25 turnovers and registered 15 steals.
"That was part of our practice this week," said Buscaglia. "We had a good practice on Thursday, came back with a nice one yesterday, and I thought we prepared for the game well. By challenging ourselves to play harder and tougher in practice, results like this come out on the court."
Kerstie Phills led Wagner with 13-point, 13-rebound double-double, accomplishing the feat in the first half.
Prior to the contest, Brown, Navarro, and Stamolamprou were recognized as part of Senior Day festivities. The senior trio has been a part of 73 overall wins and 50 NEC victories, while helping guide RMU to three NEC Championship Game appearances, a pair of NEC titles in 2014 and 2016, and the 2014 NEC regular-season crown.
"The seniors had a great day today," added Buscaglia. "They didn't shoot the best, but their mental toughness – especially Anna Niki [Stamolamprou] with her father here for the first time in the country – was great. Rebeca [Navarro] played with a great pace, taking players off the dribble and getting into the lane to pull up. Janee [Brown] bounced back from a couple tough moments early on and put together a nice performance by pushing the ball and staying in control."
Robert Morris is back in action on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m. when it hosts Mount St. Mary's.
