Women's Basketball | 2/25/2018 12:20:00 PM

GAME 27
Robert Morris Colonials (20-6, 13-2 NEC) @ Central Connecticut Blue Devils (6-20, 6-9 NEC)
Monday, February 26, 2018 // 7:00 p.m. // New Britain, Conn. – Detrick Gymnasium
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: CCSUBlueDevils.com

The Capsule
Robert Morris clinched a spot as one of the two hosts in the upcoming Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament with a 67-61 win at Bryant on Saturday. That victory allowed the Colonials to keep pace with Saint Francis U at the top of the NEC standings, as both teams stand at 13-2 with three games remaining in the regular season. This is the 10th time in program history that RMU will finish in the top two of the NEC.

NOTES: Robert Morris @ Central Connecticut (2.26.18)

The Opponent
Central Connecticut sits tied for seventh in the NEC at 6-9, but just two games separate it and Bryant in third place. The Blue Devils were riding a four-game winning streak heading into their Feb. 19 matchup at Mount St. Mary's, but have lost two straight since then, including a 85-75 defeat against Saint Francis U on Saturday. Junior guard Kiana Patterson ranks seventh in the league in scoring (13.3 PPG), fifth in assists (3.3 APG), and fourth in three-point percentage (.396). Her classmate Andi Lydon is also averaging double-figures at 11.2 points per contest, while leading the team in rebounding (6.0 RPG) and minutes played (31.4 MPG).

The Series
Overall: 24-14 | Home: 18-3 | Away: 6-11 | Streak: W5
Last Game: Robert Morris 66, Central Connecticut 47 (1.29.18)
 
Robert Morris owns a 24-14 edge over Central Connecticut in the all-time series, but 11 of the Blue Devils' wins have come in the Nutmeg State. Last year in New Britain, the Colonials defeated CCSU, 62-39. RMU shot 51.1 percent from the floor and held the Blue Devils to 22.2 percent shooting. Nneka Ezeigbo and Mikalah Mulrain combined for 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds, while Shakema Dashiell provided eight points off the bench.
 
Last Time Out
Robert Morris sank a season-high 12 three-pointers to defeat Bryant, 67-61, picking up its first regular season win at the Chace Athletic Center since Feb. 22, 2014. Honoka Ikematsu tallied half of the Colonials' buckets from deep, finishing 6-of-10 for a team-high 19 points. RMU also got double-digit scoring efforts from Mikalah Mulrain (14) and Nina Augustin (10), and forced 26 turnovers defensively.
 
In the Previous Meeting…
RMU closed out a perfect month of January with a 66-47 win against Central Connecticut on Jan. 29. The Colonials held the Blue Devils to 29.4 percent shooting and limited their two leading scorers Kiana Patterson and Andi Lydon to a combined 13 points. Megan Smith scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting for RMU, while Nneka Ezeigbo posted a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double.
 
Block Party
Senior center Mikalah Mulrain has 32 blocked shots this season, upping her career total to 166. Mulrain now sits four shy of Anna Gailite's school record of 169, which she set from 2009-13.
 
In February, We Wear Pink
It has been a tradition for Robert Morris to don pink alternate jerseys during select games in February. It has also been a tradition for the Colonials to win those contests. After its 67-61 triumph over Bryant on Saturday, RMU is now 19-1 in pink jerseys since the 2013-14 season, with its lone loss coming during the 2015-16 campaign.
 
In March, We Play in Moon
Robert Morris clinched its spot as one of the two NEC Tournament hosts with a win at Bryant on Saturday. The new tournament format features quarterfinal and semifinal contests played at the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, with the highest remaining seed holding the championship game. In its last six NEC Tournament appearances, RMU has hosted at least a quarterfinal bout, and owns a 10-1 record in home postseason contests during that stretch.
 
Meeting The Mark
With their victory at Bryant on Saturday, the Colonials reached the 20-win mark for the 11th time in program history. RMU has now won 20 games in four of the last five seasons, and rattled off four consecutive 20-win campaigns from 2004-05 to 2007-08.
 
Smith Does It All
Megan Smith has been one of the most reliable players in program history over her four seasons and on Saturday at Bryant, she joined an exclusive club. With a career-high seven assists against the Bulldogs, she became just the fourth player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 200 rebounds in a career. The other three players to do so are:
 
Chinata Nesbit (2006-08) - 1,083 pts, 620 reb, 245
Artemis Spanou (2010-14) - 2,124 points, 1,563 reb, 370 ast
Anna Niki Stamolamprou (2013-17) - 1,815 pts, 633 reb, 373 ast
 
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 eighth nationally. RMU also paces the conference in field goal defense (.359), which ranks 19th nationally, and sits in the Top 100 in steals per game (10.3, 40th) and turnovers forced (19.50, 37th).
 
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 20-0 this season. All-time, RMU is 593-0 when leading at the final whistle.

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