GAME #18
Wagner Seahawks (5-12, 3-3 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (9-8, 6-0 NEC)
Saturday, January 26, 2019 // 1:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – North Athletic Complex (1,000)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
Play-By-Play: Adam Gusky; Color Commentary: Justin Pyles
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Notes Package: Wagner // Robert Morris
Musket Shots
> The Robert Morris University women's basketball team returns home for the first time since Jan. 7 when it hosts Wagner on Saturday. The Colonials are beginning a stretch that sees them play four times at home over their next five contests, while the Seahawks are in the middle of a three-game road swing. RMU is riding a six-game winning streak, last defeating Central Connecticut, 64-57. Wagner has won three of its last five, with both losses coming to Sacred Heart.
> This is the fourth time that RMU has started the conference schedule with a 6-0 mark, and the second straight year it has been accomplished. The Colonials also began the league slate 6-0 in 2005-06 and 2010-11. Last season's squad established a new program record for longest unbeaten start in NEC play (9-0), with the 2010-11 team originally holding that record at 7-0.
> The Colonials have won their last 17 NEC contests at home, last falling to Saint Francis U, 70-55, on Jan. 16, 2017. RMU won all nine home conference tilts last season and their last six in 2016-17.
> With a sweep this weekend at home, RMU will complete a perfect January for the second straight year. The Colonials went 7-0 last January, owning a margin of victory of 12.6 points over that stretch. Prior to that run, RMU last went unbeaten over a month in February 2010.
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Series History w/ Wagner
Overall: 33-31 | Home: 16-14 | Away: 14-16 | Neutral: 3-1 | Streak: W6
Last Meeting: March 2, 2018; Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris 49, Wagner 46
> This will be the 65th meeting between Robert Morris and Wagner, with the Colonials owning a slight 33-31 edge in the series. The Seahawks dominated the series from 1992 to 2004, winning 21 of 24 matchups over that stretch. RMU has flipped the script since 2005, however, owning a 24-2 mark since the 2004-05 season.
> In their last meeting, Nneka Ezeigbo scored the go-ahead basket with 45 seconds remaining, lifting the Colonials past Wagner, 49-46. Ezeigbo scored 15 off the bench for RMU, who tallied their fewest points in a win since Feb. 2, 2013 against LIU Brooklyn (W, 47-41).
> Last January, Robert Morris knocked off Wagner in Staten Island, 58-52. Megan Callahan and Nina Augustin each had a team-high 13 points, while Ezeigbo posted a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double.
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Scouting the Seahawks
> In her third season as head coach, Heather Jacobs has guided Wagner back into NEC Tournament contention. Despite being picked last in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Seahawks are 3-3 in league play with two of those losses coming to Sacred Heart, who is 6-0. Wagner owns double-digit wins over Central Connecticut (75-63), Fairleigh Dickinson (71-59), and Mount St. Mary's (92-76).
>Â Redshirt sophomore guard Taylah Simmons and freshman forward Emilija Krista Grava are both averaging double figures in scoring at 13.2 and 11.1 points per game, respectively. Both are shooting over 40 percent, as is sophomore guard Khaleah Edwards, who is averaging 9.6 points per contest on 38.4 percent (38-99) from deep. Sophomore guard Alayshia Dailey and senior guard Nakylia Carter respectively rank third and fifth in the NEC in assists at 3.4 and 3.2 per game.
> Wagner paces the NEC in rebounding defense, allowing just 35.8 caroms per contest. The Seahawks also rank second in assists (13.4), and third in both field goal percentage (.412) and three-point field goal defense (.297).
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It's All About Balance
> The first word that comes to mind when discussing Robert Morris' offensive attack is balance. The Colonials currently are tied for first in the NEC with a 6-0 mark, despite not having a single player over 10.1 points per game.
> RMU has seven players averaging 5.0 points or more this season, one of two teams in the league (Wagner) to do so. Last season, the Colonials were the only squad to have seven players at that mark, with Nneka Ezeigbo's scoring mark of 10.4 points per contest leading the way. Eight different Colonials have led the team in scoring this season, and nine have scored in double figures at least once.
> Additionally, that balance also applies to playing time. RMU does not have a player currently in the top 30 of the NEC in minutes per game, with Nadège Pluviose pacing the team at an average of 25.2. Three other players (Nia Adams, Ezeigbo, Isabella Posset) are seeing over 20 minutes per contest, with four others (Nina Augustin, Esther Castedo, Honoka Ikematsu, Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu) above the 15-minute mark. No other team in the conference can claim eight players above the 15.0 minutes per game average.
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Ikematsu in the NEC
> In her young career, Honoka Ikematsu has stepped up her game when the schedule hits conference play. Ikematsu just went for a season-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 5-of-7 from deep at Central Connecticut on Monday, and is averaging 10.2 points on 37.5 percent (15-40) from three-point range in NEC games.
> Last season when it came to league tilts, Ikematsu led the Colonials in scoring at 10.5 points per game. She converted 45.9 percent (45-98) of her three-point attempts in the league slate and reached double-figure scoring on nine occasions, including back-to-back efforts at Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart where she scored 23 and 25 points, respectively.
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New Year, New Colonials
> A 3-8 non-conference record isn't exactly what Robert Morris wanted to close out 2018, but the New Year has brought a lot of success in the early going.
> RMU has gone 6-0 in NEC contests, winning four of them by double-digit margins. This is the fourth time in program history that the Colonials have gone 6-0 to begin conference play, joining the 2005-06, 2010-11, and 2017-18 teams. The 2010-11 team would begin 7-0 in the league, while last year's group established a new school record with a 9-0 start.
> Since entering conference play, the Colonials have seen notable improvements in points per game (55.9 to 61.4), points allowed per game (59.7 to 57.1), scoring margin (-3.8 to +4.3), field goal percentage (.336 to .367), three-point field goal percentage (.318 to .338), field goal percentage defense (.404 to .381), three-point field goal percentage defense (.320 to .306), turnovers per game (18.5 to 16.8), and turnover margin (+2.2 to +3.9).
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Milestone Watch
> Junior center Nneka Ezeigbo needs just 26 more rebounds to become the 23rd player in program history with 500 for their career. Ezeigbo would be the sixth Colonial to reach the milestone in their junior season.
> With three more made three-pointers, sophomore guard Honoka Ikematsu will become the 14th player in school history to with 100 in their career. Ikematsu is averaging 1.98 per game, which would rank third behind Sade Logan '09 (3.60) and Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17 (2.26) among those to achieve that mark.
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The Bench Brings It
> Robert Morris has gotten great contributions from its bench this season, as its reserves are averaging 24.5 points per game and 10.6 more than its opponents' bench.
> The Colonials' bench has scored 30 or more points seven times this season, going 6-1 in those contests. In the previous two seasons, RMU's reserves have reached the 30-point mark on just six occasions. On Nov. 11, the Colonials received a season-high 42 points from their bench in a 67-39 win over La Salle.
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The Defense (Never) Rests
> Defense has been the Colonials' calling card over the last few seasons, and 2018-19 isn't shaping up to be any different. Four times this season, RMU has held its opponent to 50 points or fewer - Nov. 11 against La Salle (39), Nov. 13 against Rhode Island (46), Jan. 7 against Fairleigh Dickinson (49), and Jan. 14 at LIU Brooklyn (37). The Colonials held the Blackbirds to a 20.9 percent (9-43) clip from the floor, making them the 18th different opponent to shoot under 30 percent since 2016-17.
> The Colonials forced 25 turnovers from Bryant last Saturday, the 10th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.88 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 27th nationally. Last season, RMU forced 20 or more turnovers on 15 occasions.
> Through 17 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 57.1 points per game, which also slots 35th nationally. The Colonials have established a new school record two years running in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 57.0 PPG in 2016-17 and 54.1 PPG last season. Last season's mark also ranked eighth nationally.
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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 are 9-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 607-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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