Loretto, Pa. – In its quest to become the fourth team in Northeast Conference (NEC) history to win three straight tournament titles, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team fell just short as top-seeded Saint Francis U, 66-56, defeated the Colonials this afternoon from DeGol Arena.
Playing it its fifth consecutive NEC Championship Game, Robert Morris (25-7, 16-2 NEC) used a 10-3 run in the third quarter to turn a 32-31 deficit into a 38-35 advantage. The Colonials withstood an early 13-2 Saint Francis U (24-9, 16-2 NEC) start to ultimately tie it at halftime, 26-26, but the Red Flash outscored RMU, 31-18, over the final 16 minutes to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
"I just got done meeting with the team and I told them how proud I am," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "The fight this year, the youth on our team – these seniors were such great leaders every day. I am honored to coach this group.
Mikalah Mulrain broke the halftime deadlock with a layup, giving the Colonials their first lead of the contest. That would be short-lived thanks to a pair of Courtney Zezza three-pointers, but Jocelynne Jones answered the second to make it a one-point game.
Jessica Kovatch followed Jones' trifecta with one of her own to make it 35-31, but RMU received five straight points from Megan Smith to regain the advantage. Jones added a layup on the fastbreak to make it 38-35, giving the Colonials their largest lead of the contest.
A jumper from Jones, who finished with a career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, put RMU back in front for the final time, 40-39, with 5:07 left in the third quarter. The Red Flash would answer with eight unanswered points – six coming from free throws – to swing the pendulum to its end for good.
"It's about going out and challenging yourself to be the best you can be every day," said Buscaglia. "We got off to a slow start but came back and kept fighting. We continued to fight and didn't allow it to get away from us. We played with no fear."
Mulrain and Smith added 10 points each for the Colonials. RMU shot 33.8 percent (22-65) from the floor and 31.8 percent (7-22) on three-point attempts.
Jones earned All-Tournament Team recognition from the NEC following her career performance.
By sharing the NEC regular-season championship, RMU has clinched a spot in the Postseason WNIT. The WNIT committee will release the names of the 64 qualifying teams on Monday, March 12 at 9:00 p.m. (ET) – one hour after the NCAA Tournament announcement concludes. The WNIT bracket then will be released by midnight, with game times finalized by Tuesday afternoon.
