Women's Basketball | 3/10/2018 2:24:00 PM

GAME 32
#2 Robert Morris Colonials (25-6, 16-2 NEC) @ #1 Saint Francis U Red Flash (23-9, 16-2 NEC)
2018 Northeast Conference Tournament Championship Game presented by StartWire
Sunday, March 11, 2018 // 2:00 p.m. // Loretto, Pa. – DeGol Arena
TV: ESPNU // Radio: ESPN 970 PGH // Live Stats: SFUAthletics.com
TV Talent: Cara Capuano, play-by-play; Amanda Butler, color commentary
Radio Talent: Adam Gusky, play-by-play; Justin Pyles, color commentary

The Capsule
For the fifth consecutive season, Robert Morris will be playing for the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament championship after it defeated LIU Brooklyn, 74-44, on Thursday evening in the NEC semifinals. The Colonials are in search of their third-straight league championship and eighth overall, and would advance to the program's sixth NCAA Tournament with a victory.

NOTES: Robert Morris @ Saint Francis U (3.11.18)

The Opponent
Saint Francis U shared the NEC regular-season championship with the Colonials, finishing at 16-2 in league contests. The Red Flash topped Fairleigh Dickinson, 89-70, in the NEC quarterfinals, and avenged an earlier loss to Sacred Heart, 78-47, to secure its spot in the title game. SFU is led by junior guard Jessica Kovatch, who was named NEC Player of the Year after averaging 24.8 points per game. Redshirt freshman guard Caitlyn Kroll is the league's Rookie of the Year selection after pacing the team in assists (3.2) to go along with 13.5 points per game. Graduate student Ace Harrison collected NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors as she ranks second in the NEC in steals (2.6) and seventh in blocks (1.2).

The Series
Overall: 43-40 | Home: 24-14 | Away: 15-24 | Neutral: 1-2 | Streak: L1
Last Game: Saint Francis U 68, Robert Morris 47 (2.3.18)
 
This is the third meeting of the Keystone State contingent in the NEC Championship Game. Saint Francis U got the best of Robert Morris in the 2005 edition, 65-50, before the Colonials knocked off the Red Flash, 78-64, in 2014. In that victory, Artemis Spanou, who garnered NEC Player of the Year plaudits and was later named NEC Tournament MVP, posted a 30-point, 20-rebound double-double to go along with six assists, two steals, and a block in 40 minutes.
 
RMU in the Playoffs is…
> 6-10 in away contests
> 11-2 all-time as the No. 2 seed
> 3-6 all-time against the No. 1 seed
 (Most recent: W, 56-51 at Sacred Heart in the 2016 title game)
> 4-5 against Saint Francis U in the postseason
 (Most recent: W, 78-64 vs. Saint Francis U in the 2014 title game)
> 7-3 all-time in the NEC Championship Game
 
A New Standard
RMU's victory over LIU Brooklyn in the NEC Tournament semifinals was its 25th of the season, surpassing the school record first established by the 2006-07 team, who finished 24-8 and advanced to the program's first NCAA Tournament.
 
Tournament Two Step
Robert Morris owns an 11-2 mark as the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament, but eight of those 11 victories have come in the last 11 seasons. The Colonials' last defeat as the second-seeded team came on March 11, 1989 against top-seeded Wagner (L, 60-66).
 
Twice as Nice
Colonials head man Charlie Buscaglia became just the third coach in NEC history to win back-to-back Coach of the Year awards when he received the nod on Wednesday morning. Buscaglia joins Myndi Hill of Saint Francis U (2002, 2003) and Ed Swanson of Sacred Heart (2008, 2009) as the only coaches to achieve this feat.
 
Three Named All-NEC
For the second consecutive season, RMU had three players named to All-NEC teams as Megan Smith, Nneka Ezeigbo, and Honoka Ikematsu all were honored by the conference. Smith topped the list as a First Team honoree, her third all-league accolade from the NEC. Ezeigbo followed up an All-Rookie performance with a Second Team nod this year, while Ikematsu gave the Colonials their 14th All-Rookie plaudit in program history.
 
A Date With Eight
RMU has won seven NEC Tournament championships in its history, including three over the past four seasons. That is the second most in league history behind Saint Francis U, who has won 11 titles. However, the Colonials have won five of their crowns since 2006-07, which is more than twice as much as any other institution during that span.
 
Champs Once Again
The Colonials captured their sixth NEC regular-season championship on March 4, having finished tied at the top of the standings with Saint Francis U at 16-2. RMU previously finished at the top of the NEC table in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, and 2016.
 
Last Time Out
Robert Morris left little doubt in its NEC semifinal contest against sixth-seeded LIU Brooklyn, advancing to its fifth consecutive NEC championship game with a 74-44 win over the Blackbirds on Thursday night. The Colonials doubled up the visitors in the first half, 40-20, and received a game-high 21 points in 18 minutes from Nneka Ezeigbo. Megan Callahan added 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting as RMU shot 50% (29-58) as a team.
 
Block Party
Senior center Mikalah Mulrain has 35 blocked shots this season, upping her career total to 169. Mulrain's next rejection will break Anna Gailite's school record, which she set from 2009-13.
 
Iron Women
In their next appearances, seniors Jocelynne Jones and Mikalah Mulrain will establish a new program record for games played at 129. They're currently tied with a pair of seniors from last season's team in Rebeca Navarro and Janee Brown.
 
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 53.6 points per contest, which ranks tops in the NEC and seventh nationally. RMU also paces the conference in field goal defense (.363), which ranks 28th nationally, and sits in the Top 30 in steals per game (10.5, 26th) and turnovers forced (20.10, 25th).
 
Lift Off
RMU has come out of the gates strong this season, owning a 116-point advantage in the first quarter over its 31 games. Against conference foes, the Colonials have outscored their opponents by 97 in 20 opening frames. RMU averages a 4.9-point lead heading into the second quarter versus NEC teams.
 
Three-Kematsu
Just 30 games into her career, it's clear that Honoka Ikematsu is someone you don't want to leave open from beyond the arc. Ikematsu is converting at a 43.8 percent (64-146) rate from deep, which tops the NEC and is the 14th highest three-point percentage in the nation.
 
Smith Starts for RMU
Senior forward Megan Smith has been a fixture in the starting lineup since arriving in Moon Township from Barrie, Ontario, appearing in the first five a total of 124 times. Her start against Central Connecticut on Wednesday gave her sole possession of the program record for career starts, passing Artemis Spanou (2010-14) and Anna Niki Stamolamprou (2013-17).
 
Insurmountable Lead
Robert Morris has never lost a game in which it has held the lead at the end of the second half. In such situations, the Colonials are 25-0 this season and 33-0 in the NEC Tournament. All-time, RMU is 598-0 when leading at the final whistle.

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