Women's Basketball | 2/9/2017 4:42:00 PM

GAME 24
Wagner (3-20, 2-10 NEC) at Robert Morris (14-9, 9-3 NEC)
Saturday, February 11, 2017 • 1:00 p.m. • Senior Day 2017
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.

Video: NECFrontRow.com • RMUColonials.com
Video Talent: Adam Gusky (play-by-play), Justin Pyles (color commentary)
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: rmuwbasketball
 
The Capsule
Robert Morris returns home with a six-game winning streak and opens up a brief two-game home stand on Saturday, Feb. 11 when Wagner comes into town. The Colonials now sit in a tie for second place in the Northeast Conference (NEC) with Sacred Heart and are one game behind first-place Saint Francis U, and a win would lock RMU into the NEC Tournament for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons.




The Series vs. Wagner
While the Seahawks own a 32-29 edge on Robert Morris in the all-time series, the Colonials have been dominant as of late, winning 20 of their last 23 meetings. During that 23-game stretch, RMU has won 10 of its 11 home contests, with the lone blemish coming on March 3, 2015 in a 66-60 defeat.

Scouting the Seahawks
Wagner has been competitive since last playing Robert Morris on Jan. 14, picking up a pair of wins against St. Francis Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson over its last three contests. Kerstie Phills, a five-time NEC Rookie of the Week honoree, leads the Seahawks in scoring at 12,3 points per game. Tanasia Russell is also averaging double-figures at 11.1 points per contest, but the Wagner offense as a whole is tallying just 51.9 points per game.

Coach B Weekly
In the 12th episode of Coach B Weekly, head coach Charlie Buscaglia talks about the team's success in Brooklyn, discusses the recent play of Colonial centers Nneka Ezeigbo and Mikalah Mulrain, praises the successes of senior trio Janee Brown, Rebeca Navarro, and Anna Niki Stamolamprou ahead of Senior Day, and previews matchups against Wagner and Mount St. Mary's.


 
The Previous Meeting
Mikalah Mulrain went a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, establishing a new single-game record in field goal percentage (min. 8 FGM) of 1.000 as Robert Morris defeated Wagner, 82-63, on Jan. 14 at the Spiro Sports Center. Mulrain finished with 18 points and seven rebounds as RMU shot 58.2 percent from the field as a team. The Colonials forced 22 turnovers and came away with 13 steals defensively, led by Megan Smith's career-high five. RMU also dished out 20 assists to just 12 throwaways, and had five players finish with more helpers than turnovers.

Last Time Out
Robert Morris completed a season sweep of LIU Brooklyn on Monday, knocking off the Blackbirds in Brooklyn, 64-54. The Colonials shot 18-of-20 from the free throw stripe and received a game-high 28 points from Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who tallied 15 of those in the fourth quarter. RMU held LIU Brooklyn without a field goal in the second quarter and outscored the hosts in the frame, 19-7, to take control of the game.
 
Streakin'
Robert Morris is currently riding a six-game winning streak, which is tied for the 10th longest in program history. The Colonials reached six wins in a row twice last season and now six times overall, while the seven-win mark has been accomplished in three different seasons (1979-80, 2008-09, 2013-14). The school record for most consecutive wins came during 2007-08 season when RMU won 17 straight from Jan. 16 to March 16.
 
Lift Off
First-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia is on the cusp of posting the winningest debut season in program history as his 14-9 record is one victory shy of surpassing Dan Swalga's 14-win campaign in 1978-79.
 
As We Go On, We Remember
While Saturday will not serve as the final home game in Janee Brown, Rebeca Navarro, and Anna Niki Stamolamprou's careers, their careers will be celebrated prior to the contest as part of Senior Day festivities. The trio has been a part of 72 overall wins at RMU and 49 NEC victories, and helped guide the program to three trips to the NEC Championship Game, two NEC titles, and a NEC regular-season crown.
 
Feelin' It
Senior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou is averaging a career-high 16.3 points per game in her final hurrah and recently surpassed Laura Lindak (1989-94) for second place on the program's all-time scoring list on Jan. 30 at Saint Francis U. Stamolamprou now has 1,659 career points and has tallied a per-game average of 14.3 points during her time in Colonial blue and white.
 
Never Change
The Colonials have identified themselves as a strong defensive team in the past and this season is no different. RMU currently leads the NEC in scoring defense (58.7) and field goal defense (.378), and has held five teams to under 30 percent shooting - surpassing its total of four from both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.
 
The Floor General
Senior guard Janee Brown owns a 1.41 assist-to-turnover ratio through 23 games of her final season in a Colonial uniform. Brown (83a, 59t) currently leads the Northeast Conference, which hasn't been done since 2009-10 when Angela Pace topped the league with a 2.36 mark.

Musket Shots
For the first time this season on Jan. 30 at Saint Francis U, Robert Morris won a game when it was trailing entering the fourth quarter ... Megan Smith returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 4 at St. Francis Brooklyn after missing the previous two games due to injury ... RMU has held six of its opponents to under 50 points this season and is a perfect 6-0 in those contests ... Six different Colonials (Janee Brown, Nneka Ezeigbo, Mikalah Mulrain, Rebeca Navarro, Megan Smith, Anna Niki Stamolamprou) have collected high scoring honors in 2016-17 ... RMU's average home attendance of 570 is the highest among NEC teams
 
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