Moon Township, Pa. – In a battle between the top two teams in the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team was victorious, defeating Sacred Heart, 64-46, this evening at the North Athletic Complex behind dominant performances by both of the Colonials' centers.
Matched up against Sacred Heart's (10-9, 6-2 NEC) graduate center Katherine Haines – who has captured four NEC Player of the Week awards this season – Robert Morris (11-8, 8-0 NEC) duo Nneka Ezeigbo and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu combined for 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting and 22 rebounds, while holding Haines to just seven points (2-10 FG) and four rebounds in 28 minutes. The Colonials also held the Pioneers to 25.0 percent (12-48 FG) shooting and limited their sixth opponent of the season to below 50 points.
"We worked really hard today," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We only had one day of preparation for a team like Sacred Heart that plays unconventionally with their dribble-drive offense. We came in with the right mentality after a great day of practice yesterday and great shootaround today, and we were ready to work. I was really proud of our effort tonight."
Celebrating her 20th birthday, Ozzy-Momodu made her impact felt early with back-to-back baskets to close the first quarter, putting RMU ahead 14-6. That lead grew to 14 at halftime with the sophomore center finishing on a 6-0 run, giving her 10 points and seven rebounds at the break.
The Colonials kept adding to their advantage, pushing it to 21 a pair of times in the third frame. Isabella Posset buried a couple of threes to make it 40-21, then Ezeigbo sank two foul shots after the media. SHU would trim the gap to 17 points at the stripe, but two more free throws by Nia Adams – who went 8-for-8 on the evening – and a reverse layup by Posset pushed the lead to 48-27 after three.
RMU's margin reached its peak at 60-32 with a 12-5 stretch to begin the fourth quarter. After an Adrianne Hagood layup forced a timeout out of Buscaglia, Adams drew a foul and sank two foul shots. The senior then converted in the lane following an Ezeigbo steal, and the junior finished her own miss after a Haines trifecta. Ezeigbo again scored from the block, and after a Natalie Villaflor free throw, Esther Castedo drilled a three from the wing to give the Colonials their largest lead.
Ezeigbo (16 pts, 11 reb) and Ozzy-Momodu (14 pts, 11 reb) both posted double-doubles, marking the first time that's happened for a RMU duo since March 3, 2014 when Artemis Spanou (24 pts, 12 reb) and Cassie Oursler (17 pts, 18 reb) accomplished the feat against Mount St. Mary's.
"(Ezeigbo & Ozzy-Momodu) really controlled inside today," said Buscaglia of his centers' performances. "They were really good and strong in the post. They played with a great pace – they weren't going 100 miles per hour, but they were explosive and aggressive down low. It definitely set the tone for the game."
Ezeigbo eclipsed 500 career rebounds in the third quarter, becoming the 23rd player in program history to reach that milestone. The junior is now five steals shy of 100 for her career, something only 12 other Colonials have done.
Adams matched her career high in points with 12. As a team, RMU shot 48.0 percent (24-50 FG) from the field and 92.9 percent (13-14 FT) at the charity stripe.
This is the second straight year that the Colonials have gone undefeated in January, previously going 7-0 in the first month of 2018. Prior to that run, RMU last went unbeaten over a month in February 2010.
Robert Morris returns to the road for a single game on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. when it plays Fairleigh Dickinson. With a victory, the Colonials will match their longest unbeaten start in NEC play, which was accomplished last season at 9-0.
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