Women's Basketball | 2/22/2019 10:31:00 AM
GAME #25
St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (15-10, 9-4 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (15-9, 12-1 NEC)
Saturday, February 23, 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
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Notes Package: St. Francis Brooklyn // Robert Morris
Musket Shots
> After regaining its three-game lead in the NEC standings, the Robert Morris University women's basketball team will look to lock up a first-round home game in next month's NEC Tournament when it hosts St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, Feb. 23. The Colonials' lead briefly dropped to two games before they defeated Saint Francis U on Monday, 66-60, while the Terriers are coming off a 70-58 triumph over Central Connecticut.
> This is will be Senior Day for Robert Morris, as it's set to recognize fourth-year guard Nia Adams prior to the contest. Adams has played in 84 games over her career, starting 36 of them, including all 24 this season and the final four in the Colonials' 2017 NEC and NCAA Tournament runs.
> With its win over Central Connecticut on Jan. 21, 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.
> 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 12th nationally at 55.1 points per game. The Colonials finished eighth in that category last season.
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Series History w/ St. Francis Brooklyn
Overall: 44-21 | Home: 23-9 | Away: 20-12 | Neutral: 1-0 | Streak: W1
Last Meeting: Jan. 12, 2019; Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. – Robert Morris 75, St. Francis Brooklyn 56
> This is the 66th meeting between Robert Morris and St. Francis Brooklyn. While the Colonials own a 44-21 edge in the all-time series, the games have been more even as of late, with the teams splitting four of the last five seasons that have featured double round robin scheduling. Over the last three seasons, neither team has strung together consecutive wins at their home venue.
> RMU topped the Terriers in Brooklyn last month, 75-56. The Colonials limited an explosive St. Francis Brooklyn offense below its season averages in points, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. Nneka Ezeigbo posted a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double with 10 of her caroms coming on the offensive end, while Esther Castedo added 13 points off the bench.
> On Jan. 8, 2018, RMU held the Terriers to one point in the first quarter en route to a 59-36 win. Megan Callahan led the way for the Colonials, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
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Scouting the Terriers
> In her first season at the helm of St. Francis Brooklyn, Linda Cirimo has the Terriers in a three-way tie for second place in the NEC standings at 9-4. They're coming off a perfect home weekend against LIU Brooklyn (87-64) and Central Connecticut (70-58), and have won six of their last eight games.
> Junior guard Jade Johnson leads the Terriers' offensive attack, topping the circuit in free throw percentage (.920), ranking second in scoring (19.5 PPG) and three-pointers made per game (3.3), and third in three-point percentage (.439). Fourth-year guard Amy O'Neill has two triple-doubles on the season and is among the nation's best in assists per game (8.3), while sophomore forward Ally Lassen leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.561).
> St. Francis Brooklyn paces the conference in scoring offense (74.4 PPG), field goal percentage (.440), three-point percentage (.395), free throw percentage (.745), rebounding margin (+5.4), assists (16.6 APG), and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.9). The Terriers rank near the bottom of the league in turnover margin (-.264, 8th) and blocked shots (2.4 BPG, 9th).
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Locked In
> Robert Morris has done well against the opponent's top scorer as of late, holding the last six to below 10 points. Over this six-game stretch, the Colonials have limited those players (Katherine Haines of Sacred Heart, Lauren Francillon of Fairleigh Dickinson, Sydney Holloway of Bryant, Kiana Patterson of Central Connecticut, Juliette Lawless of Mount St. Mary's, Jessica Kovatch of Saint Francis U) to an average of 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game on 22.7 percent (10-44 FG) from the field and 23.1 percent (3-13 3PT) on three-pointers.
> Most recently against the Red Flash, the Colonials held Kovatch, the reigning NEC Player of the Year, to a career-low six points on 1-of-9 shooting. Two days earlier, they limited Lawless to zero points in 12 minutes of action.
> Currently, these players rank first (Kovatch), third (Lawless), fourth (Holloway), fifth (Patterson), sixth (Haines), and 14th (Francillon) in scoring. RMU's defense also held the NEC's second-leading scorer, Jade Johnson of St. Francis Brooklyn, below her season average (19.5 PPG) at 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting on Jan. 12.
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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 23-1 record when wearing pink jerseys.
> RMU is 4-0 in pink this season, earning wins at Fairleigh Dickinson (63-43) and Saint Francis U (66-60), and at home 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-13.9 scoring margin in the 24 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 Feb. 9, 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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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 21 turnovers against Mount St. Mary's last Saturday, the 14th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.25 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 24 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 55.1 points per game, which also slots 12th 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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The Dynamic Duo
> The duo of junior Nneka Ezeigbo and sophomore Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu flourished on Jan. 28 against Sacred Heart, combining for 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting and 22 rebounds. Defensively, the pair held four-time NEC Player of the Week winner Katherine Haines to seven points (2-10 FG) and four rebounds in 28 minutes.
> Both Ezeigbo (16 pts, 11 reb) and Ozzy-Momodu (14 pts, 11 reb) posted double-doubles in the victory, the first time that has happened since March 3, 2014 against Mount St. Mary's. In that aforementioned contest - a 71-65 triumph to close the regular season - Artemis Spanou '14 went for 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Cassie Oursler added 17 points and 18 caroms.
> Ezeigbo and Ozzy-Momodu have combined for 17.4 points and 14.4 rebounds per game this season. The junior paces the team in scoring (11.1 PPG), rebounding (7.5 RPG), blocks (28), and steals (43), while her second-year sidekick leads the Colonials in field goal percentage (.570) and defensive rebounds (108).
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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 a 12-1 mark, despite not having a single player over 11.1 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 11.1 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 24.9. Five other players (Nia Adams, Nina Augustin, Ezeigbo, Honoka Ikematsu, Nadège Pluviose) are seeing over 20 minutes per contest, with three others (Esther Castedo, Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu, Natalie Villaflor) above the 15-minute mark. No other team in the conference can claim eight players above that average.
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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 15-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 613-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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