GAME #23
Robert Morris Colonials (14-8, 11-0 NEC) @ Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (10-12, 4-7 NEC)
Saturday, February 16, 2019 // 1:00 p.m. // Emmitsburg, Md. – Knott Arena (3,500)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: MountAthletics.com
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Notes Package: Robert Morris // Mount St. Mary's
Musket Shots
> Fresh off another perfect home stand, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team begins a two-game road swing on Saturday, Feb. 16 against Mount St. Mary's. Despite a slow start, the Colonials defeated Central Connecticut this past Monday, 60-40, while the Mountaineers fell to LIU Brooklyn, 71-61.
> With its win over the Blue Devils, RMU qualified for its 14th NEC Tournament in the last 15 seasons and 23rd all-time. The Colonials have won a league playoff game in each of their last eight appearances.
> RMU has now won 11 consecutive games for the fourth time in program history, after previously putting together nine-game winning streaks in both the last two seasons. This streak is tied for the third longest all-time with the 2014-15 team, while the 2007-08 (17 wins) and 2009-10 (13) teams posted longer unbeaten spells.
> The Colonials have won their last 21 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 10th nationally at 54.6 points per game. The Colonials finished eighth in that category last season.
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Series History w/ Mount St. Mary's
Overall: 28-33 | Home: 16-14 | Away: 12-18 | Neutral: 0-1 | Streak: W12
Last Meeting: Jan. 7, 2019; Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris 70, Mount St. Mary's 58
> This will be the 62nd meeting between Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary's. The Colonials are riding a 12-game winning streak in the series and have won 25 of the last 28 matchups, dating back to Jan. 3, 2005.
> RMU opened NEC play this season with a 70-58 victory over the Mountaineers. Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu scored a career-high 17 points off the bench on 8-of-11 shooting, and added eight rebounds in 17 minutes. Isabella Posset tallied 13 points and seven caroms, while Nadège Pluviose pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds.
> In their last trip to Emmitsburg, the Colonials were victorious, 77-68. Megan Smith '18 led the team with 15 points as four RMU players reached double-figures, thanks to a 45.9 percent shooting performance and 9-of-20 effort from deep.
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Scouting the Mountaineers
> Guided by second-year head coach Maria Marchesano, Mount St. Mary's is currently slotted to return to the NEC Tournament after missing last year, sitting in a tie for sixth at 4-7 in the league. After rattling off three straight wins, the Mountaineers have lost three straight to Saint Francis U (83-72), Sacred Heart (76-41), and LIU Brooklyn (71-61).
> Mount St. Mary's boasts two players that are ranked in the top 10 of NEC scoring in senior guard Juliette Lawless (17.5 PPG, 3rd) and freshman guard Michaela Harrison (13.3 PPG, 9th). Lawless also slots third in field goal percentage (.513), fourth in assists (3.3 APG) and three-point percentage (.406), and fifth in steals (1.9 SPG). Harrison, a five-time NEC Rookie of the Week recipient, ranks third in three-pointers made at 2.8 per game.
> The Mountaineers are led by their offense, ranking second in the NEC in three-pointers made (8.5 3FGM), third in scoring (67.5 PPG) and assists (13.0 APG), and fourth in field goal percentage (.394). Mount St. Mary's slots near the bottom in scoring defense (70.6 PPG, t-7th), free throw percentage (.676, 8th), and three-point percentage defense (.343, 10th).
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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 22-1 record when wearing pink jerseys.
> RMU is 3-0 in pink this season, earning wins at Fairleigh Dickinson (63-43) and against Bryant (59-56) and Central Connecticut (60-40). The Colonials finished 3-0 last season and 4-0 in 2016-17, winning all of those contests by double-digits. In fact, 18 of RMU's wins in pink have come by double figures, with it owning a plus-14.2 scoring margin in the 23 contests.
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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 last 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.
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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 11-0 in NEC contests, winning seven of them by double-digit margins.
> This is the program's best NEC start, breaking last year's record last Saturday against Bryant. The Colonials are the fifth team since 2000 to win their first 11 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 61.9), points allowed per game (59.7 to 54.6), scoring margin (-3.8 to +7.2), field goal percentage (.336 to .379), three-point field goal percentage (.318 to .336), field goal percentage defense (.404 to .366), three-point field goal percentage defense (.320 to .307), turnovers per game (18.5 to 16.7), and turnover margin (+2.2 to +3.6).
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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. Eight 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), Feb. 2 at FDU (43), and Feb. 11 against Central Connecticut (40). The Colonials held the Blue Devils to a 26.9 percent (14-52) clip from the floor, making them the 20th different opponent to shoot under 30 percent since 2016-17.
> The Colonials forced 20 turnovers against CCSU on Saturday, the 13th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.50 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 29th nationally. Last season, RMU forced 20 or more turnovers on 15 occasions.
> Through 22 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 54.6 points per game, which also slots 10th 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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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 an 11-0 mark, despite not having a single player over 10.6 points per game.
> RMU has seven 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.
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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 one more steal 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).
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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 14-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 612-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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