Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team outscored Fairleigh Dickinson, 52-27, over the final three quarters in route to a 64-38 triumph over the Knights this evening in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament quarterfinals at the North Athletic Complex.
Top-seeded Robert Morris (20-10, 16-2 NEC) shot at a season-best 50.0 percent (24-48) clip from the field, and drilled 7-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc. The defense also shined, limiting eighth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson (8-22, 5-13 NEC) to 27.3 percent (12-44) from the floor and 4-of-16 on three-pointers.
"I'm very proud of the effort tonight," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "The team worked hard for 40 minutes and things weren't easy. I give a lot of credit to Fairleigh Dickinson, coach (Peter) Cinella did a great job today, and we had to be good in order to win this game. We did a great job in the second half of continuing to fight, and that's what we have to do this time of the year."
The Knights hung tough through the opening frame, trailing 12-11 after 10 minutes. They tied it at 13-13 with a Lauren Francillon jumper, but RMU's defense locked in after that. Natalie Villaflor helped the hosts regain the lead with a layup off a Nneka Ezeigbo feed, followed by a bucket by the junior center. Rachel Niles answered with a jumper, but Honoka Ikematsu canned a baseline three to make it 20-15. Ikematsu struck again with a jumper late in the frame to push the Colonial gap to double-digits, but Madelynn Comly finished in the paint to set the halftime tally at 28-20.
FDU would trim the difference to seven before RMU used a 15-2 run over the next 3:39 to seal the victory. The rally started with an Isabella Posset trifecta, followed by an Ezeigbo fastbreak layup off a steal. Natalie Zamora briefly halted the run with two free throws, but Augustin responded with back-to-back treys to force a Knights timeout. Villaflor added one at the foul line after the break and Esther Castedo buried a three-pointer to turn a single-digit game into a 44-24 one.
Ikematsu finished the contest off in style with a three, floater, and mid-range jumper, while Laura Carrasco's layup with 1:32 left gave the Colonials their largest lead.
Augustin and Ezeigbo both scored 13 points to lead the hosts, while Ikematsu provided 12 on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench. Comly and Francillon tied for FDU high scoring honors with 10 points each.
This is now the 12th season overall and fourth straight that RMU has won 20 games.
The Colonials move to 14-5 all-time in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals and 22-2 in home postseason contests. RMU has also won their last 30 home games against conference foes.
Prior to the contest, Buscaglia (Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year), Ezeigbo (Defensive Player of the Year, First Team), and Posset (Rookie Team) were all recognized by the NEC in its postseason award ceremony.
RELATED: Buscaglia, Ezeigbo Claim Major NEC Awards; Posset Named All-Rookie
Robert Morris continues its quest for an eighth NEC Tournament title on Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m. against sixth-seeded Mount St. Mary's. The Mountaineers upset third-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn, 80-74, in their quarterfinal contest, and are one of two teams (Sacred Heart) to top the Colonials in league play this season. Thursday's tilt can be seen on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row, and can be heard on ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM.
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