Women's Basketball | 2/24/2019 4:40:00 PM

GAME #26
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (4-21, 3-11 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (16-9, 13-1 NEC)
Monday, February 25, 2019 // 7:00 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: LIU Brooklyn // Robert Morris

Musket Shots
> The Robert Morris University women's basketball team enters its Monday matchup with LIU Brooklyn having a chance to clinch its third consecutive NEC regular-season championship, needing a victory and a Sacred Heart loss at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Colonials are coming off a 74-57 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn from this past Saturday, while the Blackbirds have knocked off Sacred Heart (69-64) and Saint Francis U (75-69) in back-to-back games.
> RMU's dominance in NEC play goes beyond its 13-1 record. The Colonials own a plus-15.4 scoring margin and plus-5.43 turnover margin in league contests, and have held opponents to a .347 field goal percentage, which is .036 lower than second place Bryant.
> Junior center Nneka Ezeigbo has enjoyed one of the best stretches of her career over RMU's last four games, averaging 15.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 1.5 assists. Ezeigbo is shooting 58.5 percent from the floor and has scored exactly 16 points in each of the last three contests.
> The Colonials have won their last 22 NEC games 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 11th nationally at 55.2 points per game. The Colonials finished eighth in that category last season.
 
Series History w/ LIU Brooklyn
Overall: 50-16 | Home: 29-6 | Away: 21-10 | Streak: W16
Last Meeting: Jan. 14, 2019; Brooklyn, N.Y. – Robert Morris 89, LIU Brooklyn 37
> This is the 67th meeting between Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn, a series that the Colonials have dominated. RMU is 50-16 all-time against the Blackbirds and owns a 16-game winning streak. In those 16 games, the Colonials have won by an average of 18.4 points, with 11 coming by double-digits.
> In their first matchup this season, RMU came away with its largest road win in program history, thrashing LIU Brooklyn, 89-37. The Colonials opened the first two quarters with 12-0 runs, and used stretches of 16-0 and 13-0 in the final two frames to set a record. Five players reached double-figures for the visitors, led by Esther Castedo's career-high 17 points off the bench.
> RMU defeated the Blackbirds in last year's NEC Tournament semifinals, 74-44. Nneka Ezeigbo scored 21 points in 18 minutes as a reserve, while Megan Callahan added 16 points.
 
Scouting the Blackbirds
> Guided by fourth-year head coach Stephanie Del Preore, LIU Brooklyn sits in a three-way tie for the final NEC Tournament slot with Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson at 3-11. After opening conference play with 10 straight losses, the Blackbirds have won three of their last four games, topping Mount St. Mary's (71-61) and Sacred Heart (69-64) at home, as well as Saint Francis U (75-69) on the road.
> The Blackbirds are led offensively by the duo of sophomore Jeydah Johnson and freshman Brandy Thomas. Johnson ranks seventh in the NEC in scoring (13.6 PPG), ninth in free throw percentage (.778), and 10th in three-pointers made (1.7 per game). Thomas is a double-double machine with averages of 13.4 points (8th in NEC) and 9.7 rebounds (2nd in NEC), to go along with an 81.1 percent mark at the free throw stripe (4th in NEC).
> LIU Brooklyn ranks in the top half of the NEC in blocked shots (3.7, 4th) and field goal percentage defense (.406, 5th), but occupies the bottom position in scoring offense (56.4 PPG), scoring margin (-14.5), field goal percentage (.351), turnover margin (-3.64), and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.7).
 
Marching Towards a Three-Peat
> Robert Morris has an opportunity to bring home its third consecutive NEC regular-season title against LIU Brooklyn, needing a win and a loss by Sacred Heart at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Colonials have won or shared sixth regular-season crowns in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2017, and 2018, and if it could get its seventh, it would clinch a postseason tournament bid for the fourth straight season.
> RMU has clinched its last two regular-season crowns in Moon Township. Two seasons ago, a 62-48 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson coupled with a Sacred Heart loss at Saint Francis U put the Colonials at the top of the NEC standings by itself. Last year, the Colonials defeated Mount St. Mary's, 66-54, to share the title with the Red Flash.
 
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 24-1 record when wearing pink jerseys.
> RMU is 5-0 in pink this season, earning wins at Fairleigh Dickinson (63-43) and Saint Francis U (66-60), and at home against Bryant (59-56), Central Connecticut (60-40), and St. Francis Brooklyn (74-57). The Colonials finished 3-0 last season and 4-0 in 2016-17, winning all of those contests by double-digits. In fact, 19 of RMU's wins in pink have come by double figures, with it owning a plus-14.0 scoring margin in the 25 contests.
 
Riding High
> Nneka Ezeigbo has been unguardable inside over her last four games, averaging 15.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 1.5 assists, while shooting 58.5 percent (31-53 FG) from the field. Ezeigbo has scored 16 points in each of the last three contests, and posted a double-double with 12 rebounds (9 offensive) at Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 16.
> Nina Augustin has been brilliant in RMU's last two wins, averaging 16.0 points on 12-of-23 (52.2%) from the field and 8-of-16 (50.0%) on three-pointers. Augustin scored a career-high 18 points on 6-of-12 from deep in the Colonials' 66-60 triumph at Saint Francis U, then added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting to complete the St. Francis swing.
 
The Magic Number
> When Robert Morris reaches the 70-point barrier, it's been "Game Over" for its opponents under Charlie Buscaglia. With the Colonials' 74-57 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn this past Saturday, they are now 18-0 when scoring 70 since Buscaglia took over in 2016-17.
> RMU has reached the mark in six contests this season, all but one of those coming in NEC play. The Colonials opened the league slate by scoring 70 or more in four straight contests, with the aforementioned win over the Terriers being the last time they've hit that mark since Jan. 14 at LIU Brooklyn.
 
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 24 turnovers against St. Francis Brooklyn this past Saturday, the 15th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.40 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 27th nationally. Last season, RMU forced 20 or more turnovers on 15 occasions.
> Through 25 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 55.2 points per game, which also slots 11th 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.
 
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 16-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 614-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.

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