Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team rebounded from a one-point halftime deficit by holding Wagner without a field goal in the fourth quarter as the Colonials moved to 7-0 in Northeast Conference (NEC) action with a 69-46 victory over the Seahawks at the North Athletic Complex.
Robert Morris (10-8, 7-0 NEC) limited Wagner (5-13, 3-4 NEC) to just three points at the stripe over the final 10 minutes, the fewest its allowed in that frame since the switch to four quarters prior to the 2015-16 season. In the final stanza, the Seahawks went 0-for-10 from the field and turned it over seven times, while RMU put the finishing touches on its seventh double-digit win with 21 points.
"We got after it in the second half and worked on some things that we weren't so comfortable doing in the first half," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "And we started to find our flow, we found areas to attack more. Wagner did a great job, I give credit to (Seahawks head coach) Heather (Jacobs) for the game plan and how hard those kids play. She's got a great culture over there, they're really growing. It was a great response in the second half, doing the little things and playing with a better pace."
Wagner controlled most of the first half, but only owned a 26-25 edge at the break despite outshooting the Colonials by 13.9 percent (46.2% to 32.3%). Nneka Ezeigbo completed an and-one play to open the third, giving RMU its first advantage since 3:05 into the game. Taylah Simmons responded with a pair of buckets sandwiched between a Nia Adams layup, then Honoka Ikematsu drilled a three to make it 33-30 in favor of the hosts.
Joellen How answered with a trey of her own, but Ikematsu found nothing but net from deep again, giving her the 100th three-pointer of her career. That trifecta gave the Colonials a lead they wouldn't relinquish, though the Seahawks kept it close with an Enas Niagtu layup to make it 40-37. Ezeigbo then found Augustin on the wing for a three, and the sophomore from Finland followed with another to stretch the gap to eight points late in the frame. However, Khaleah Edwards rattled in a trey of her own with 37 seconds on the clock to set the score at 48-43 through three.
Augustin kept it going to begin the fourth, sinking another three and finding Nadège Pluviose on the fastbreak to force a timeout out of Wagner. The run reached 10 unanswered with three points from Natalie Villaflor and an Ezeigbo putback, and hit its peak with 34 seconds remaining after another Villaflor basket.
Augustin matched her career-high in scoring with 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-5 3PT) off the bench, tying for team honors with Ikematsu. Ezeigbo posted her third double-double of the season, tallying 13 points and a career-best 17 rebounds (9 offensive).
Simmons paced all scorers with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
RMU's 7-0 start to begin NEC play is tied for its second best with the 2010-11 team, and sits two wins shy of matching last season's 9-0 run. The Colonials have now won 18 straight home games in the league slate.
Ikematsu became the 14th player in program history with 100 career three-pointers. Her average of 2.02 three-pointers per game ranks third all-time behind former NEC Player of the Year recipients Sade Logan (3.60) and Anna Niki Stamolamprou (2.26).
Ezeigbo now is nine rebounds shy of 500 for her career, as she looks to become the 23rd player in school history to meet that standard. The junior center also could become the 17th Colonial with 100 career steals, needing seven more to reach that mark.
Robert Morris will look to complete a perfect January for the second consecutive year when it hosts Sacred Heart at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28. The Colonials and Pioneers entered today with identical 6-0 records to top the NEC standings.
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