Emmitsburg, Md. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball saw its 11-game unbeaten run in Northeast Conference (NEC) play come to an end this afternoon as the Colonials were clipped by Mount St. Mary's, 61-55, at Knott Arena.
Robert Morris (14-9, 11-1 NEC) and Mount St. Mary's (11-12, 5-7 NEC) traded the lead seven times, twice coming in the final minute. The Colonials forced 21 turnovers and collected 11 steals, but allowed the Mountaineers to shoot 45.0 percent (18-40) from the field, 42.9 percent (9-21) on three-pointers, and 72.7 percent (16-22) at the stripe.
"Mount St. Mary's did a great job of playing extremely hard," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "I give them a lot of credit for their effort and going out and winning the game. It was a hard-fought game for most of the time, and we came up a little short.
"(The Mountaineers) did a great job of playing with a lot of passion and at a great pace. We trained to match that this week, but when the moment came, we weren't always ready to. They did a great job at touching our paint, kicking it out, and making things happen. We weren't able to match that, which allowed them to function well."
RMU jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but Mount St. Mary's answered with 21 of the next 31 points to own a five-point edge. Esther Castedo and Isabella Posset drilled back-to-back threes to put the Colonials back in front at 22-21, an advantage they'd extend to six with an Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu layup before Bridget Birkhead's trey set the halftime tally at 29-26.
The hosts began to chip away to close the third, as a 9-2 run capped by a Birkhead three made it a one-point game at the horn. Rebecca Lee scored on the Mountaineers' first possession of the fourth quarter to put them ahead, but that advantage was short-lived after a Nina Augustin free throw and Nneka Ezeigbo hook shot.
Mount used a 7-2 rally to make it a two-possession game, but Natalie Villaflor answered with a jumper and trifecta to bring it to 53-53 with 4:41 to play. Neither team could find a go-ahead bucket for three-and-a-half minutes, then Nia Adams split a pair of defenders and banked it off the glass to give RMU a 55-53 edge.
After the teams traded turnovers, Jatarrikah Settle earned three the old-fashioned way to make it 56-55 in favor of the Mountaineers. Settle then drained two free throws after a Colonial turnover, and Harrison put it away with a pair of foul shots with 14 seconds remaining.
Ezeigbo posted her fifth double-double of the season, leading RMU with 16 points (8-15 FG) and 12 rebounds (9 offensive). The junior added two assists, two blocks, and a steal in 27 minutes – the steal being the 100th of her career, making her the 17th player in program history to reach that mark.
Settle led all scorers with 21 points, followed by Birkhead's 14 and Harrison's 13.
The Colonials' 11-game winning streak was their third longest in program history, while the 11-0 NEC start was a school record.
RMU continued its strong play against its opponent's leading scorer, as the defense held Juliette Lawless (17.5 PPG) to no points in 12 minutes, marking the fifth straight game it has held the opponent's top scorer to single digits.
Robert Morris looks to rebound on Monday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 p.m. when it renews its Keystone State rivalry with Saint Francis U. This is the first meeting between the Colonials and Red Flash since last year's NEC Championship Game, and it will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
