GAME 25
Sacred Heart Pioneers (10-15, 6-8 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (18-6, 11-2 NEC)
Monday, February 19, 2018 // 7:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – North Athletic Complex
Live Video: ESPN3 // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
Paul Dottino, play-by-play; Pam Roecker, color commentary

The Capsule
Robert Morris bounced back from a 1-2 road trip with a 62-49 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson this past Saturday, pulling into a first-place tie on top of the NEC standings ahead of its Monday night showdown with Sacred Heart. The Pioneers helped the Colonials pull even with Saint Francis U at 11-2 with a one-point win in Loretto on Saturday. A victory for RMU would mark the first time in program history it has swept a two-game regular-season series against Sacred Heart.

NOTES: Sacred Heart @ Robert Morris (2.19.18)

The Opponent
With its 69-68 win at Saint Francis U on Saturday, Sacred Heart moved into sole possession of seventh place in the NEC standings with a 6-8 record. The Pioneers' current three-game winning streak is the league's second longest active stretch as the team has also picked up victories over Wagner (61-49) and Mount St. Mary's (56-44). SHU has four players averaging double-figures in scoring, led by redshirt junior Candice Leatherwood and her 13.4 points per game. Fellow fourth-year junior Katherine Haines is a double-double machine at 13.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest, but she was held out of the Pioneers' win over the Red Flash.

The Series
Overall: 13-23 | Home: 8-8 | Away: 5-15 | Streak: W2
Last Game: Robert Morris 91, Sacred Heart 57 (12.31.17)
 
Robert Morris trails Sacred Heart in the all-time series, winning just 13 of the 36 meetings. However, the Colonials have won four consecutive games at home, including a 66-56 victory last season on Feb. 25, 2017. Anna Niki Stamolamprou and Janee Brown combined for 32 points from the guard positions, while Nneka Ezeigbo contributed 15 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
 
Last Time Out
Despite falling behind by 10 in the third quarter, Robert Morris came back to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson, 62-49, on Senior Day this past Saturday. The Colonials shot just 29.7 percent from the floor, but sank 11 three-pointers, tying a season-high. Honoka Ikematsu led all scorers with 12 points, while Mikalah Mulrain and Nina Augustin each added 10. RMU's defense held the Knights to a 1-of-10 shooting performance in the fourth quarter.
 
In the Previous Meeting…
RMU's first meeting against Sacred Heart produced one of its most dominant offensive performances in program history as the team shot 61.4 percent from the field in a 91-57 rout on Dec. 31. It was the first time since Feb. 10, 2014 that the Colonials had scored 90 points in an NEC contest. Honoka Ikematsu scored 25 points in the victory, while Mikalah Mulrain chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds.
 
Finding A Way
RMU hasn't had many games in recent seasons where it has shot under 30 percent from the field, but this past Saturday was one of them. The Colonials' 29.7 percent shooting performance against Fairleigh Dickinson was the first time since Feb. 6, 2016 against Bryant that they've won a game despite converting less than 30 percent of their field goal attempts.
 
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 54.3 points per contest, which ranks tops in the NEC and ninth nationally. RMU also paces the conference in field goal defense (.353), which ranks 13th nationally, and sits in the Top 100 in steals per game (10.3, 38th) and turnovers forced (19.50, 39th).
 
Block Party
Senior center Mikalah Mulrain has 28 blocked shots this season, upping her career total to 162. Mulrain now sits eight shy of Anna Gailite's school record of 169, which she set from 2009-13.
 
Share the Love
Thanks to Nadège Pluviose's 10-point effort at St. Francis Brooklyn this past Monday, the Colonials have had eight different players own or share high scorer honors this season. Pluviose joins Nina Augustin, 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.
 
Lift Off
RMU has come out of the gates strong this season, owning a 66-point advantage in the first quarter over its 24 games. The Colonials average a lead of 2.8 points heading into the second quarter and have only been behind six times this season after the opening 10 minutes.
 
Public Service Announcement
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 18-0 this season. All-time, RMU is 591-0 when leading at the final whistle.

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