GAME #22
Central Connecticut Blue Devils (6-14, 3-7 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (13-8, 10-0 NEC)
Monday, February 11, 2019 // 7:05 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: Central Connecticut // Robert Morris

Musket Shots
> Isabella Posset's go-ahead layup with 38 seconds remaining lifted the Robert Morris University women's basketball team over Bryant on Saturday, 59-56, moving the Colonials to 10-0 in the NEC - the best conference start in program history. RMU will look to add onto that on Monday, Feb. 11 against Central Connecticut, who just fell on the road to Saint Francis U, 83-68.
> RMU has now won 10 consecutive games for the fourth time in program history, after previously putting together nine-game winning streaks in both the last two seasons. Only the 2007-08 (17 wins), 2009-10 (13), and 2014-15 (11) teams posted longer unbeaten spells than this squad.
> The Colonials have won their last 20 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.
> Robert Morris again is boasted by a strong defense, topping the NEC and ranking 16th nationally at 55.3 points per game. The Colonials finished eighth in that category last season (54.1 PPG) and 25th in 2016-17 (57.0 PPG). RMU limited four NEC opponents to under 50 points - including three of the last four - and seven foes in total.
 
Series History w/ Central Connecticut
Overall: 27-14 | Home: 19-3 | Away: 8-11 | Streak: W8
Last Meeting: Jan. 21, 2019; New Britain, Conn. – Robert Morris 64, Central Connecticut 57
> This will be the 42nd meeting between Robert Morris and Central Connecticut. The Colonials have won the last eight and own a 27-14 advantage in the series, including a 19-3 edge in Moon Township.
> Three weeks ago, RMU defeated CCSU in New Britain, 64-57. Honoka Ikematsu paced the Colonials with a season-high 19 points, converting 5-of-7 attempts from deep including her first three. Nneka Ezeigbo added 12 points - half of those coming in the fourth quarter - and three steals.
> In the last matchup at the North Athletic Complex, Robert Morris topped the Blue Devils in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals, 60-54. The Colonials only trailed for 1:19 of the contest, despite CCSU going on a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter. RMU scored 30 points off 23 Blue Devil turnovers, with Megan Smith '18 (11), Ikematsu (11), and Ezeigbo (10) all scoring in double figures.
 
Scouting the Blue Devils
> Led by 12th-year head coach Beryl Piper, Central Connecticut is tied for eighth in the NEC standings at 3-7, picking up home wins over Saint Francis U (73-62), LIU Brooklyn (55-53), and Bryant (66-65). The Blue Devils are just 2-9 on the road this season, their last victory away from New Britain coming on Dec. 5, 2018 against Albany.
> Senior guard Kiana Patterson, a Preseason All-NEC selection in October, paces CCSU in scoring (16.9 PPG), assists (3.0 APG), and minutes played (33.0 MPG). She's the lone Blue Devil to average double-digit points, with fellow fourth-year Andi Lydon right behind her at 9.1 points per game. Lydon is also second in rebounding (5.4 RPG) and minutes played (28.8 MPG), and is the team's leader in steals (1.0 SPG).
> Central Connecticut is led by its defense, pacing the NEC in three-point percentage defense (.292), while ranking second in field goal percentage defense (.391). The Blue Devils rank near the bottom of the league in a few offensive categories, including points per game (59.7, 8th), field goal percentage (.368, 8th), free throw percentage (.681, 8th), and three-point percentage (.277, 9th).
 
In February, We Wear Pink
> It has been a tradition for Robert Morris to don pink alternate jerseys during select games in February. It has also been a tradition for the Colonials to win those contests. Since the 2013-14 season, RMU has accumulated a 20-1 record when wearing pink jerseys.
> RMU is 2-0 in pink this season, earning wins at Fairleigh Dickinson (63-43) and against Bryant (59-56). The Colonials finished 3-0 last season and 4-0 in 2016-17, winning all of those contests by double-digits. In fact, 17 of RMU's wins in pink have come by double figures, with it owning a plus-14.0 scoring margin in the 22 contests.
 
Heart-stoppers at the NAC
> For the fourth time in the history of the North Athletic Complex, and the second time this season, Robert Morris scored a go-ahead bucket with under a minute remaining in regulation. The most recent instance happened on Saturday, when Isabella Posset converted in a layup with 38 ticks on the clock to give the Colonials a 63-62 win over Bryant.
> On Dec. 18, 2018 against Delaware State, Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu pulled down an offensive rebound and banked it off the window with seven seconds left, turning a seemingly 63-62 defeat into a 64-63 triumph, giving Charlie Buscaglia his 50th career win.
> RMU won in the closing seconds twice last season. In the Colonials' next-to-last regular-season home contest, Nneka Ezeigbo scored out of a timeout with 45 seconds remaining, ultimately giving the hosts a 49-46 win. On Jan. 13, 2018, Megan Smith '18 buried a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, turning a 62-60 defeat into a 63-62 victory over Saint Francis U.
 
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 10-0 in NEC contests, winning seven of them by double-digit margins.
> This is the program's best NEC start, breaking last year's record on Saturday against Bryant. The Colonials are the fifth team since 2000 to win their first 10 NEC games, and join Saint Francis U (2002-04) as the only teams to start 9-0 in consecutive seasons.
> Since entering conference play, the Colonials have seen notable improvements in points per game (55.9 to 62.0), points allowed per game (59.7 to 55.3), scoring margin (-3.8 to +6.6), field goal percentage (.336 to .377), three-point field goal percentage (.318 to .341), field goal percentage defense (.404 to .371), three-point field goal percentage defense (.320 to .310), turnovers per game (18.5 to 16.8), and turnover margin (+2.2 to +3.6).
 
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. Seven 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), Jan. 14 at LIU Brooklyn (37), Jan. 26 against Wagner (46), Jan. 28 against Sacred Heart (46), and Feb. 2 at FDU (43) again. The Colonials held the Blackbirds to a 25.0 percent (12-48) clip from the floor, making them the 19th different opponent to shoot under 30 percent since 2016-17.
> The Colonials forced 23 turnovers against Bryant on Saturday, the 12th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.52 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 30th nationally. Last season, RMU forced 20 or more turnovers on 15 occasions.
> Through 21 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 55.3 points per game, which also slots 16th 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.
 
It's All About Balance
> The first word that comes to mind when discussing Robert Morris' offensive attack is balance. The Colonials currently are sitting first in the NEC with a 10-0 mark, despite not having a single player over 10.4 points per game.
> RMU has eight players averaging 5.0 points or more this season, the only team in the league to do so. Last season, the Colonials also 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. Nine different Colonials have led the team in scoring this season, and 10 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 Isabella Posset pacing the team at an average of 24.5. Five other players (Nia Adams, Nina Augustin, Ezeigbo, Honoka Ikematsu, Nadège Pluviose) are seeing over 20 minutes per contest, with two others (Esther Castedo, Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu) above the 15-minute mark. No other team in the conference can claim eight players above that average.
 
Milestone Watch
> In RMU's 64-46 win over Sacred Heart on Jan. 28, junior center Nneka Ezeigbo became the 23rd player in program history with 500 career rebounds. Ezeigbo is on the cusp of another milestone, needing just four steals to join 16 other players with 100 in their careers.
> Sophomore guard Honoka Ikematsu became the 14th player in school history with 100 career three-pointers, drilling four in RMU's 69-46 win over Wagner on Jan. 26. Ikematsu is averaging 1.98 per game, which ranks third all-time behind Sade Logan '09 (3.60) and Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17 (2.26).
 
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 13-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 611-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.

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