Women's Basketball | 3/8/2018 10:36:00 AM

GAME 31
#6 LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (13-17, 8-10 NEC) @ #2 Robert Morris Colonials (24-6, 16-2 NEC)
2018 Northeast Conference Tournament presented by StartWire Semifinals
Thursday, March 8, 2018 // 7:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – North Athletic Complex
Live Video: ESPN3 // Radio: ESPN 970 PGH // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
TV Talent: Jon Schmeelk, play-by-play; Meg Bulger, color commentary
Radio Talent: Adam Gusky, play-by-play; Justin Pyles, color commentary
 
NEC Tournament Headquarters – Robert Morris

The Capsule
Robert Morris advanced to its eighth NEC Tournament semifinal in nine seasons last night against seventh-seeded Central Connecticut, and will look to move onto its fifth consecutive title game tonight against sixth-seeded LIU Brooklyn. The victory over the Blue Devils was the Colonials' 20th postseason triumph at home, while LIU Brooklyn upset the third seed St. Francis Brooklyn for its first playoff win since 2010. This is the second straight season that RMU has faced the six seed in the semifinals, previously topping Central Connecticut, 70-62, last year.

NOTES: LIU Brooklyn @ Robert Morris (3.8.18)

The Opponent
LIU Brooklyn will enter this semifinal bout at 13-17 overall and a 9-10 mark against NEC foes. The Blackbirds placed two players on the All-NEC Second Team in graduate transfer guard Denisha Petty-Evans and senior forward DeAngelique Waithe. Petty-Evans is averaging a team-best 15.4 points per game to go along 59 steals, while Waithe owns per-game marks of 12.8 points and 9.0 rebounds. The latter has posted 12 double-doubles this season, and the former currently owns a streak of seven consecutive double-digit scoring performances.

The Series
Overall: 48-16 | Home: 28-6 | Away: 20-10 | Streak: W14
Last Game: Robert Morris 55, LIU Brooklyn 44 (2.10.18)
 
This is the first time Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn have met in the postseason since the 2014 NEC Tournament quarterfinals, where the Colonials defeated the Blackbirds, 65-49. In that contest, Artemis Spanou went the full 40 minutes, posting a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double. RMU, who trailed by seven at halftime before outscoring LIU Brooklyn, 41-18, over the final 20 minutes, also received 14 points from Anna Niki Stamolamprou on 6-of-12 shooting.
 
RMU in the Playoffs is…
> 20-2 in home contests
> 10-2 all-time as the No. 2 seed
> 8-0 all-time against the No. 6 seed
 (Most recent: W, 70-62 vs. Central Connecticut in 2017 semifinals)
> 3-1 against LIU Brooklyn in the postseason
 (Most recent: W, 65-49 vs. LIU Brooklyn in 2014 quarterfinals)
> 10-5 all-time in the NEC Tournament semifinals
 
A New Standard
RMU's victory over Central Connecticut in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals was its 24th of the season, tying the school record established by the 2006-07 team, who finished 24-8 and advanced to the program's first NCAA Tournament.
 
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.
 
Perennial Playoff Potential
Robert Morris is participating in its 13th NEC Tournament over the last 14 seasons. RMU had rattled off eight consecutive postseason appearances from 2004-05 to 2011-12, finishing first in three of those seasons. This is the sixth time that the Colonials have entered the NEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, capturing the title on three occasions (1988, 2007, 2008). None of the players on this season's roster were born the last time RMU lost as the No. 2 seed, as that came on March 11, 1989 against top-seeded Wagner (L, 60-66).
 
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 Sunday, 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 secured its 16th appearance in the NEC Tournament semifinals with a 60-54 victory over seventh-seeded Central Connecticut on Wednesday afternoon. The Colonials used a 13-0 first-quarter run to go ahead 20-8 and extended their lead to as many as 17 points before the Blue Devils made a late push. RMU saw its three All-NEC honorees score in double-figures, led by a pair of 11-point performances from Megan Smith and Honoka Ikematsu.
 
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 123 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).
 
Block Party
Senior center Mikalah Mulrain has 34 blocked shots this season, upping her career total to 168. Mulrain now sits two shy of breaking Anna Gailite's school record of 169, which she set from 2009-13.
 
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 53.9 points per contest, which ranks tops in the NEC and eighth nationally. RMU also paces the conference in field goal defense (.362), which ranks 26th nationally, and sits in the Top 100 in steals per game (10.4, 33rd) and turnovers forced (20.03, 28th).
 
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 24-0 this season and 32-0 in the NEC Tournament. All-time, RMU is 597-0 when leading at the final whistle.
 
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