Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team withstood a furious fourth-quarter push by Mount St. Mary's to advance to its sixth consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship Game with a 69-65 victory this evening from the North Athletic Complex.
Robert Morris (21-10, 16-2 NEC) led 51-36 with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter before Mount St. Mary's (15-16, 8-10 NEC) used a 12-0 run to pull within three. The Mountaineers outscored the Colonials in the final 10 minutes, 26-18, but could only trim the gap to two points late before RMU sealed the win in its offensive end.
"Another very hard-fought victory tonight," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "I give a lot of credit to Mount St. Mary's coming out here and fighting as hard as they did, never quitting whether we made a run to go up, or down the stretch when we'd continue to make big buckets or an and-one. They continued to go."
Fresh off an upset of third-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn on Monday, Mount St. Mary's opened tonight's contest with a 5-0 start thanks to two Bridget Birkhead free throws and a Michaela Harrison three. The Colonials responded with three points from Nneka Ezeigbo and a Nadège Pluviose layup to tie it, then the junior duo added five more points to put the hosts ahead, 10-6.
The lead didn't reach double-digits until 8:33 left in the third, when Ezeigbo's second layup of the frame made it 37-26. A Birkhead trey, Alexis Wooden putback, and Jatarrikah Settle free throw pulled the Mountaineers within nine after both media timeouts, but then Esther Castedo back-to-back treys to extend the gap to 46-31. After Juliette Lawless answered with one on her end and Rebecca Lee finished inside, Castedo twickled the twine from deep again and Pluviose hit from mid-range to make it a 15-point game once more. Harrison finished the stanza with three free throws, setting the score at 51-39 after three.
Lawless opened the fourth with a driving layup, then stole the inbounds and finished inside. After a miss on RMU's end, the Mount senior followed her own miss, and Birkhead converted on the fastbreak to make it 51-47. Daly Sullivan split a pair of free throws to pull the Mountaineers within one possession for the first time since the 9:36 mark of the second, but Honoka Ikematsu halted the run with the shot clock running down, sinking a contested step-back three to stretch the gap to six.
Ezeigbo and Pluviose had answers for Settle and Lee to keep it a six-point game, then a three-point play by the junior center put the Colonials in front, 61-52. Wooden sank two free throws on the other end, and after a couple of empty possessions, Harrison sank a three to make it 61-57 with 2:28 to play.
RMU went back to Ezeigbo inside and was rewarded with her 20th point, but Lee followed up two misses for an answer with 1:26 remaining. After a miss on the Colonial end, Lawless' three-point attempt glanced off the rim and into the arms of Nina Augustin, who was fouled and hit the back end of her freebies. Birkhead freed herself on the next possession and canned a trey to make it 64-62, forcing the hosts to burn their last timeout.
After advancing the ball, RMU played keep away for a few seconds before Castedo found Ezeigbo wide open on the block. The junior finished with contact and sank the ensuing free throw to put the Colonials ahead, 67-62, but after the Mountaineers used their last break to move the ball up, Harrison hit from deep to again make it a two-point game.
Ikematsu was fouled on the inbounds with 12 seconds left and made her first, but the second hit back iron. Nia Adams emerged from the paint with the offensive rebound, dishing it to Augustin for more free throws. The sophomore split her pair, securing the victory and the Colonials' 12th conference championship game appearance.
Ezeigbo posted her seventh double-double of the season in the win, tallying 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds. Augustin added 12 points and five assists, as RMU shot 46.2 percent (24-52) from the field and made 7-of-14 three-point attempts.
"Nneka (Ezeigbo) was very special today," said Buscaglia. "I'm very proud of her and how she responded in the big moments, and I'm proud of the team in those big moments too. Mount kept coming after us, but we stayed poised and continued to serve each other through the game, and that's what really got us the victory."
Lawless led the visitors with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Harrison and Lee added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
In the other semifinal, fourth-seeded Saint Francis U went on the road and took down second-seeded Sacred Heart, 68-60. This will be the second straight year that the Colonials and Red Flash will meet in the NEC Championship Game, with RMU looking to get revenge from a 66-56 defeat last March.
This is the first NEC Championship Game rematch since 1996, when Saint Francis U and Mount St. Mary's clashed for the third consecutive year.
Robert Morris and Saint Francis U are set to tip on Sunday, March 17 at 2:00 p.m., broadcast live on ESPNU. The Colonials swept the Red Flash in the regular season, earning a 66-53 win at home and 66-60 triumph on the road. The contest will also be RMU's final in its temporary home, the North Athletic Complex, as the UPMC Events Center is set to open prior to the 2019-20 season.
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
