Women's Basketball | 1/21/2018 4:32:00 PM
GAME 18
Robert Morris Colonials (13-4, 6-0 NEC) @ Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (6-14, 3-4 NEC)
Monday, January 22, 2018 // 7:00 p.m. // Emmitsburg, Md. – Knott Arena
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: MountAthletics.com
The Capsule
Robert Morris closes a brief two-game road swing on Monday, Jan. 21 when it travels to Mount St. Mary's. The Colonials are riding a season-best six-game winning streak - all victories that have come in NEC play - and have won 11 of their last 12 contests. Dating back to last season, RMU is 9-1 in its last 10 conference road tilts.
NOTES: Robert Morris @ Mount St. Mary's (1.22.18)
The Opponent
Mount St. Mary's, under first-year head coach Maria Marchesano, sits in a tie for sixth in the NEC standings with a 3-4 conference record. After opening league play with wins in three of their first four, the Mountaineers have dropped three straight on the road at St. Francis Brooklyn, LIU Brooklyn, and Saint Francis U. Sophomore guard Ashlee White is one of three players averaging double-figures in scoring, leading the way at 13.0 points per game. Junior guard Juliette Lawless owns per-game averages of 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists - the latter two being team bests.
The Series
Overall: 25-33 |
Home: 14-14 |
Away: 11-18 |
Neutral: 0-1 |
Streak: W9
Last Game: Robert Morris 70, Mount St. Mary's 58 (2.13.17)
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Mount St. Mary's owns a 33-25 edge over Robert Morris in their all-time series, but the Colonials have been victorious in the last nine meetings. RMU swept the Mountaineers last season, picking up a 50-44 decision in Emmitsburg and a 70-58 triumph in Moon Township. The latter contest featured one of the best offensive performances over
Nneka Ezeigbo's freshman season as she chipped in with a team-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 13 minutes off the bench.
Megan Smith fell a rebound shy of a double-double in that win, tallying 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
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Last Time Out
Robert Morris ran its current winning streak to a season-high six games with a 58-52 victory over Wagner on Saturday in the team's first road game of the New Year. The Colonials forced the Seahawks into 26 turnovers - one off tying a season-high - and received 13-point performances from freshmen
Megan Callahan and
Nina Augustin.
Nneka Ezeigbo posted her sixth double-double of the season off the bench, tallying 10 points and 13 rebounds (9 offensive).
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Keep It Going
RMU is off to a 6-0 start in Northeast Conference (NEC) play for only the third time in program history, joining the 2005-06 and 2010-11 teams. The Colonials' 13-4 record in their first 17 games is their best since the 1983-84 team opened that season at 14-3.
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Lock 'Em Down
Robert Morris has prided itself on defense in its history and this season is no different. A season after establishing a new program record for points per game allowed at 57.5, the Colonials are currently allowing an average of 54.6 points per contest, which ranks tops in the NEC and seventh nationally. RMU also paces the conference in field goal defense (.356), which ranks 19th nationally, and sits in the Top 100 in steals per game (10.5, 42nd) and turnovers forced (19.12, 56th).
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Share the Love
Thanks to
Nina Augustin's 13-point effort at Wagner, the Colonials have had seven different players own or share high scorer honors this season. Augustin joins
Megan Callahan,
Nneka Ezeigbo,
Honoka Ikematsu,
Jocelynne Jones,
Mikalah Mulrain, and
Megan Smith in that department. RMU's 2003-04 squad was the last to have more than seven players lead the team in scoring when eight Colonials topped the scoresheet.
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The Bench Brings It
RMU's bench has provided no drop-off to the starting five this season, as the reserves are averaging 21.4 points per game and an average of 8.8 points more than the opponents' reserves. Over the last five games, the Colonials' bench have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.8 points. RMU is 12-1 when its bench outscores the opposing one and 29-4 since 2016-17 when that happens.
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Three-Kematsu
Just 17 games into her career, it's clear that
Honoka Ikematsu is someone you don't want to leave open from beyond the arc. Ikematsu is converting at a 49.3 percent (36-74) rate from deep, and currently owns the third highest three-point percentage in the nation.
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Block Party
Senior center
Mikalah Mulrain has 19 blocked shots this season, upping her career total to 153. Mulrain now sits 16 shy of Anna Gailite's school record of 169, which she set from 2009-13.
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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 13-0 this season. All-time, RMU is 586-0 when leading at the final whistle.
