GAME #12
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (6-5, 0-0 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (3-8, 0-0 NEC)
Saturday, January 5, 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
Notes Package: Mount St. Mary's // Robert Morris
Musket Shots
> The Robert Morris University women's basketball team begins both the New Year and Northeast Conference (NEC) portion of its schedule on Saturday, Jan. 5 when it hosts Mount St. Mary's. The Colonials are coming off a 59-36 defeat to James Madison on Dec. 30, while the Mountaineers posted the best non-conference record of all NEC teams, thanks to an 89-77 triumph over Radford on Wednesday.
> This is the first time since the 2015-16 season that Robert Morris has opened NEC play at home, previously playing at Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson, respectively, the last two seasons. The Colonials last began league action against the Mountaineers on Jan. 3, 2015, which ended in a 66-44 home victory.
> RMU's victory over Delaware State gave head coach Charlie Buscaglia his 50th career win, making him the fastest to reach that mark in program history. Buscaglia met the milestone in 76 games, two fewer than Dan Swalga at 78 games. His father, Sal Buscaglia, reached the 50-win mark at RMU on Dec. 28, 2006 after 96 contests in charge of the Colonials.
> This six-game home stand is the longest this season for the Colonials. RMU's first home stand was just two games, and it doesn't have more than two straight home games over the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign.
Series History w/ Mount St. Mary's
Overall: 27-33 | Home: 15-14 | Away: 12-18 | Neutral: 0-1 | Streak: W11
Last Meeting: March 4, 2018; Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris 66, Mount St. Mary's 54
> This will be the 61st meeting between Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary's and the 30th in Moon Township. The Colonials have won the last 11 matchups, with the last three being decided by nine points or more.
> In last year's regular-season finale, RMU topped the Mountaineers, 66-54, clinching a share of its sixth NEC regular-season crown. Megan Callahan stole the show with 17 points, converting 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-5 attempts from deep. The win also eliminated Mount St. Mary's from NEC Tournament contention.
> The Colonials defeated Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg last season, 77-68. RMU had four players in double-figures scoring, led by a 15-point effort by Megan Smith '18. Honoka Ikematsu and Nina Augustin each tallied 14, while Megan Callahan added 12.
Scouting the Mountaineers
> Led by second-year head coach Maria Marchesano, Mount St. Mary's posted the best non-conference record among NEC teams with a 6-5 mark. The Mountaineers started the season 1-3 with a lone triumph over Washington College (74-50), then rattled off four straight wins over Towson (87-78), Loyola [Md.] (77-67), Gardner-Webb (69-62), and UMBC (65-52), before closing the slate with an 89-77 victory over Radford.
> Senior guard Juliette Lawless ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring at 18.0 points per game, thanks to a 51.6 conversion rate from the floor and 37.9 percent mark from deep. Sophomore guard Daly Sullivan and freshman guard Michaela Harrison are also averaging double figures at 12.7 and 10.5 points per contest, respectively.
> As a team, Mount St. Mary's tops the NEC in rebounding defense (37.1 RPG), while slotting second in field goal percentage (.421), assists (13.8), and three-pointers made (9.1).
New Year, New Colonials
> A 3-8 non-conference record isn't exactly what Robert Morris wanted entering NEC play, but the good news is that the Colonials have been on the mark in their league opener as of late. Since the 2004-05 season, RMU is 13-1 in its first conference game of the season, with a 69-59 defeat at Sacred Heart in 2016-17 being the lone blemish during that stretch.
> The margin of victory over those 13 wins has been 15.8 points per game. Nine of the triumphs have been by double-digits, with last season's 77-68 win at Fairleigh Dickinson nearly missing the mark. In that contest, Honoka Ikematsu scored a then-career-high 23 points (7-10 FG, 6-7 3PT), Megan Smith '18 tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, and Nneka Ezeigbo posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.
> RMU is 20-13 all-time in ECAC Metro / NEC opening contests. The Colonials' largest margin of victory in a league curtain-opener came on Dec. 2, 2010 when they doubled up St. Francis (N.Y.), 72-36. In her conference debut, Artemis Spanou '14 registered an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Kristine Silaraja '11 added 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Tests Against the Best
> Robert Morris played one of its toughest non-conference schedules in recent memory, with the 11 teams owning a combined record of 72-62 (.537) through Jan. 2. The Colonials pitted themselves against teams out of notable leagues such as the American Athletic Conference (SMU), Atlantic 10 Conference (La Salle, Rhode Island), Big Ten (Iowa), Colonial Athletic Association (James Madison), and Mid-American Conference (Kent State).
> Seven of those 11 teams boast winning records, with Youngstown State (10-3) and No. 19/20 Iowa (9-3) both over the .750 winning percentage mark. James Madison is No. 17 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, while the Penguins are the second team in the others receiving votes column.
> Five of RMU's eight non-conference losses came by eight points or fewer, with one (L, 60-61 at Bowling Green) coming on a buzzer-beater. The Colonials also took YSU to overtime on Nov. 6 before falling, 69-59.
Continuing the Legacy
> With Robert Morris' 64-63 victory over Delaware State, head coach Charlie Buscaglia became the third coach in program history to reach the 50 mark, and the fastest to do so. The Empire State native owns a .649 winning percentage through 77 contests, and has won 83.3 percent (30 of 36) of his NEC games. His 22 wins in 2016-17 established a new school record for a first-year head coach.
> After taking the reins from his father, Sal Buscaglia, prior to the 2016-17 season, Coach B, as he is respectfully called, has continued to raise the bar for the program. He's been named Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons, leading the Colonials two NEC regular-season titles, a NEC Tournament crown and subsequent NCAA Tournament berth, and a Postseason WNIT appearance during that span.
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. RMU held La Salle to just 39 points on Nov. 11 and Rhode Island to 46 on Nov. 13, the 24th and 25th times since 2016-17 that it has limited an opponent to 50 points or fewer. On Dec. 7, the Colonials held Kent State to a 26.5 percent (13-49) clip from the floor, making the Golden Flashes the 17th different opponent to shoot under 30 percent since 2016-17.
> The Colonials forced 22 turnovers against James Madison, the seventh game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.82 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 41st nationally. Last season, RMU forced 20 or more turnovers on 15 occasions.
> Through 11 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 59.7 points per game. 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.
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 3-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 601-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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