Moon Township, Pa. – Fresh off of completing a perfect month of January, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team has entered the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in six seasons, coming in at No. 24.
Robert Morris, led by second-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia, is the only Northeast Conference (NEC) team recognized, receiving 85 points from the voters.
POLL: CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 (1.30.18)
At 16-4 overall and 9-0 in the NEC, the Colonials are off to one of their best starts in program history. RMU went 7-0 in January, achieving an undefeated record over an entire month for the first time since February 2010.
Defense has been the team's calling card as the Colonials rank 11th nationally in scoring defense (54.7 PPG) and 14th in field goal percentage defense (.353). RMU has held seven opponents below 30 percent shooting – one shy of tying last season's mark of eight – and six opponents to under 50 points.
Offensively, the Colonials have been led by sophomore center Nneka Ezeigbo and senior forward Megan Smith. Ezeigbo, who has seven double-doubles this season, is averaging 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game, while Smith is scoring an average of 10.5 points per contest and has reached double-figures in eight of her last nine games.
Freshman guard Honoka Ikematsu ranks second nationally in three-point percentage, converting 48.9 percent (44-90) of her attempts from beyond the arc.
This is the second time in program history that RMU has appeared in the rankings, the previous appearance coming on Dec. 7, 2011 when it also slotted in at No. 24.
Robert Morris begins a three-game road trip on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Saint Francis U. The game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. opening tip and can be seen on ESPN3.
