Los Angeles, Calif. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team and SMU opened the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic with a tough and physical contest, but ultimately the Mustangs prevailed with a 60-55 win over the Colonials this afternoon from Gersten Pavilion.
SMU (3-2, 0-0 AAC) advances to tomorrow's championship game, while Robert Morris (1-4, 0-0 NEC) will play in the third-place game at 3:30 PM (ET) / 12:30 PM (PT).
"SMU did a great job at working hard for 40 minutes," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "It was a tight game the whole way through, came down to a couple of possessions. They put us in situations that we have to handle better, and we have to come out of the gates with a better pace as a whole unit. We just have to get better and use this as a learning experience."
The Colonials forced the Mustangs into 20 turnovers – extending that streak to three consecutive games – but allowed their Lone Star State foe to shoot 48.9 percent (22-45) from the floor.
"We showed some good accountability and got to some loose balls," added Buscaglia. "That had a lot to do with our turnover number being up. The effort defensively was there in spurts, to force live ball turnovers that got our tempo up, and that was a bright spot today. We did that in short spurts, but we have to do it for 40 minutes."
Megan Callahan opened the game with a trifecta from the wing off a feed from Nina Augustin. SMU responded with a 7-0 run, then the teams traded buckets before an Esther Castedo trey made it 12-9 in favor of RMU with 1:57 left in the first quarter.
Isabella Posset maintained the three-point edge with a layup 29 seconds later, but the Mustangs scored on their next possessions to take a 15-14 advantage into the second frame.
The Colonials regained the edge to begin the second stanza, as Castedo drilled a three and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu and Honoka Ikematsu each provided baskets. SMU would get a pair of threes from Amber Bacon to take back the lead at 25-23, and wouldn't completely give it up until the 4:23 mark of the third following another Castedo three.
Castedo's second trifecta put RMU ahead 33-31, capping an 8-0 run with Callahan and Nneka Ezeigbo each tallying buckets. Two layups by Amber Froling put the Mustangs back in front shortly after, and that gap stretched to eight points early in the fourth quarter, 45-37.
The Colonials continued to fight, responding with a pair of Ikematsu threes to pull within four. After SMU split two pairs of free throws, Nia Adams found Ezeigbo to make it 49-45. Isabella Posset then made the front end of two foul shots, adding a layup on the next possession to trim the difference to one point.
Following a free throw by Amber Bacon, Ezeigbo used a nifty spin move in the post to tie it at 50-50. Another answer by the Mustangs was met with Ezeigbo's ninth and 10th points of the game, then Froling put SMU ahead once more at 54-52.
"Nneka (Ezeigbo) didn't come out well today, but (Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu) came in and did a decent job off the bench picking us up," said Buscaglia. "As the game got deeper, she found her pace and that hunger where she can post up and do the things she can do. She started to go to work down the stretch, and we need that now from the beginning."
The difference stretched to six, but Posset netted a hoop and the harm to make it 58-55 with 52 seconds to play. A defensive stop gave the ball back to the Colonials just 12 seconds later, but a three-point try was off the mark, leaving Bacon to sink two free throws to seal the game.
Callahan was one of three double-figure scorers for RMU, leading the way with 13 on 4-of-10 shooting. Ezeigbo tallied all 10 of her points in the second half to go along with six rebounds and three blocks, while Posset collected 10 in 25 minutes off the bench.
Robert Morris concludes its California trip tomorrow against Loyola Marymount, who lost to Northern Arizona, 63-62, in today's nightcap.
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