Women's Basketball | 11/5/2018 4:00:00 PM

GAME #1
Robert Morris Colonials (0-0, 0-0 NEC) @ Youngstown State Penguins (0-0, 0-0 HL)
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 // 7:00 p.m. // Youngstown Ohio – Beeghly Center
Live Video: ESPN+ ($) // Live Stats: YSUSports.com
Notes Packages: Robert Morris // Youngstown State

Musket Shots
> The Robert Morris University women's basketball team opens the 2018-19 season on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 7:00 p.m. when it travels just shy of 60 miles north to take on Youngstown State. This is the second straight season that the Colonials have commenced a campaign on the road, and one of five non-conference contests they will play outside of Moon Township.
> Guided by third-year coach Charlie Buscaglia, RMU returns a pair of starters and nine letterwinners from its 2017-18 squad that won a school-record 25 games and a share of the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season crown.
> The Colonials are in the midst of a golden era for the program, winning a total of 105 games and advancing to four postseason tournaments (3 NCAA, 1 WNIT) since the start of the 2013-14 season. RMU has also won 68 of its 90 NEC matchups over this stretch.
> Robert Morris was selected to finish first in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning five of nine possible first-place votes. This is the fourth time in the last six seasons that the Colonials were named the favorite, and during that timeframe they've never been picked outside of the top two. Junior center Nneka Ezeigbo was named Preseason All-NEC after leading RMU in scoring (10.4 PPG) and rebounding (7.0 RPG) last season.
 
Series History w/ Youngstown State
Overall: 5-16 | Home: 3-7 | Away: 2-8 | Streak: W1
Last Meeting: 11/29/2017; Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris 84, Youngstown State 52
> Robert Morris is just 5-16 all-time against Youngstown State, but three of its victories have come over the last five meetings.
> Last season's 84-52 triumph was one of the 40 largest margins of victory in school history, as the Colonials converted 57.9 percent (33-57) of their field goal attempts and forced 17 Penguin turnovers. Four players reached double-figure scoring (Megan Callahan, Honoka Ikematsu, Jocelynne Jones, Mikalah Mulrain), led by Jones' 15-point night. All nine players that played for RMU ended up scoring at least six points.
 
Scouting the Penguins
> Youngstown State finished last season with a 16-16 overall record and advanced to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) for the second time in three seasons, winning 10 of its final 14 games. In the last six seasons, the Penguins have played in four postseasons, adding 2013 and 2015 WNIT qualifications to the aforementioned WBI berths.
> YSU is led by sixth-year head coach John Barnes and return Preseason First Team All-Horizon League selection Sarah Cash, along with Second Team pick Chelsea Olson. Cash averaged a team-high 11.6 points per game on 54.4 percent shooting, while Olson registered 7.9 points per game and 45 three-point makes in her freshman season.
 
Another Lid Lifter
> RMU owns an 18-28 in season openers over its history, but has won two of the last three. This is just the third time since 2009-10 that the Colonials have commenced a season on the road.
> In last year's lid lifer, RMU fell to a strong Michigan State squad, 100-58. Megan Callahan led the Colonials with 14 points (5-10 FG) off the bench in her collegiate debut, while Nia Adams added a career-best 12 points (5-10 FG). Honoka Ikematsu started at point guard, becoming the first rookie to start a season opener since Megan Smith at Iowa on Nov. 16, 2014. Ikematsu was the sixth freshman in the last 10 season to start in their debut.
 
Splash Sisters
> Sophomore guard duo Megan Callahan and Honoka Ikematsu emerged as two of the top three-point threats in the NEC, finishing fourth and third, respectively in conversion rate.
>  Ikematsu made 41.4 percent of her attempts from deep, sinking a total of 65. Callahan converted 38.3 percent of her three-point shots, making 64 in all. Those marks also rank first and sixth, respectively, in the school career record books, with the Japanese guard holding the current program standard.
 
Continuing the Legacy
> After taking the reins from his father, Sal Buscaglia, prior to the 2016-17 season, third-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia has continued to raise the bar for the program. Coach B, as he is respectfully called, has been named Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons, leading the Colonials to 47 victories, two NEC regular-season titles, a NEC Tournament crown and subsequent NCAA Tournament berth, and a Postseason WNIT appearance.
> With three more victories, Buscaglia will become the third coach in program history to reach the 50 mark. The Empire State native owns a .712 winning percentage through 66 contests, and has won 83.3 percent (30 of 36) of his NEC games. His 22 wins in 2016-17 established a new school record for a first-year head coach.
 
Ezeigbo Knows
> Junior center Nneka Ezeigbo has been a budding star in her first two seasons at RMU, earning All-NEC Rookie Team honors in 2016-17 before being named to the Second Team this past campaign. She returns for her junior season as the Colonials' active scoring (525 points) and rebounding (362 rebounds) leader, despite starting just 10 games over that stretch.
> Ezeigbo enters the 2018-19 season ranked seventh all-time in field goal percentage (.493) and 138 rebounds from joining the 500 Rebound Club. She has 25 double-figure scoring performances and eight double-doubles in her career, seven of the latter coming last season.
 
Non-Conference Highlights
> After matching a program record with seven out-of-league victories last season, this year's non-conference schedule features six home, three road, and two tournament contests. This is the second straight season that RMU has hosted six non-league games.
> The Colonials return to California for the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 23-24, and travel to Iowa on Dec. 2. RMU also hosts Kent State on Dec. 7 and James Madison on Dec. 30, a team that advanced to the WNIT Round of 16 last season.
 
International Love
> As what has become commonplace for the Robert Morris women's basketball program, this season's edition of the Colonials will feature a heavy international presence, with eight student-athletes representing six different countries (Canada, England, Finland, Japan, Mali, Spain).
> International recruiting has become an emphasis of the program since Buscaglia's arrival in 2003-04, with 31 players coming to Moon Township from outside of the United States. From those 31 student-athletes, a total of 16 different countries have been represented.
 
Basketball Never Stops
> Three Robert Morris players competed for their countries in FIBA competition this summer. Sophomore center Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu represented Great Britain at the U20 Euros, freshman forward Julia Chadwick suited up for Canada at the U18 Americas, and first-year guard Esther Castedo played for Spain at the U18 Euros.
> Ozzy-Momodu was dominant for Great Britain, leading all of Division B in rebounding (12.1 RPG) and double-doubles (4). She averaged 10.6 points per game and shot 49.1 percent from the floor, while ranking fourth in efficiency per game with a 17.0 mark.
> Chadwick was a key contributor off the bench in Canada's silver medal run. She played 9.8 minutes per game, pulling down an average of 4.5 rebounds, while posting a 4.2 efficiency mark per contest.
> Castedo helped lead Spain to a silver medal, pacing the team in plus/minus per game at plus-7.1. She averaged 19.8 minutes per game off the bench, contributing 7.9 points and 2.0 assists per contest.
 
The Pittsburgh Kid
> Isabella Posset, a native of Beaver, Pa., provides some rare local flair to the Colonials roster in 2018-19. Posset is the first Pittsburgh-area player on the team since Britta Emberg (Kittanning HS) in 2013-14, and the first on scholarship since Monica Jones (Woodland Hills HS) in 2009-10.
> Posset starred at Beaver High School, being named PIAA All-State twice, with a First Team designation following her senior season. She collected Beaver County Times Player of the Year accolades and led the team to its first appearance in the WPIAL Championship Game.
 
Meet Virginia
> This season will mark a reunion of sorts for a pair of Colonial guards from Virginia. Sophomore Megan Callahan (Bristow, Va.) and freshman Natalie Villaflor (Ashburn, Va.) previously played club basketball together at Elevate Elite, winning championships at US Junior Nationals DC and Hershey, Chicago Nike Nationals, and Charm City.
 
Hey Newbies
> Robert Morris welcomes five freshman to the roster in Esther Castedo, Julia Chadwick, Nafatoumata Haidara, Isabella Posset, and Natalie Villaflor. Castedo, Posset, and Villaflor will add depth at the guard position, while Chadwick and Haidara provide a presence in the post. Haidara is set to join the team following the 2018-19 fall semester.
> Assistant coach Teelah Grimes is also in her first season at Robert Morris. A 2007 graduate of Dowling (N.Y.) College, Grimes previously spent a pair of seasons at the University of Valley Forge, helping lead them to 34 victories and the 2018 NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
Colonials in the Pros
> On Aug. 3, Megan Smith '18 signed a professional contract with the Southern Peninsula Sharks of Australia's Big V State League, becoming the 21st Colonial under Charlie Buscaglia to play professionally.
> Smith joins Vega Gimeno-Martinez, Lou Mataly '16, Rebeca Navarro '17, Ashley Ravelli '16, Artemis Spanou '14, Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17, Lucia Striešová, and Franziska Worthmann as former RMU players to play in a pro league this season. Ravelli (Gesam Gas Le Mura Lucca), Spanou (CMB Cargo UNI Gyor), and Stamolamprou (Olympiacos Pireus) all signed with new teams over the offseason.
 
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 went 25-0 in such situations last season, and are 598-0 all-time when holding the lead at the final whistle.

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