Staten Island, N.Y. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team caught fire off the opening tip, scoring 32 points in the first quarter en route to a 77-57 win over Wagner this afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center. The victory gives the Colonials the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship outright, and secures the top seed in this month's NEC Tournament.
Robert Morris' (18-9, 15-1 NEC) 32-point first quarter was its most to open a game, and its third highest scoring frame in program history, just behind a pair of 36 and 39-point stanza on Nov. 13, 2015 against West Virginia Wesleyan. The Colonials reached the 70-point mark for the eighth time this season, remaining a perfect 20-0 since 2016-17 when that has happened.
"It was a great effort to come out and continue to battle as Wagner was really ready and focused," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "They played with a great pace. We had to be tough – being a little short in our lineup today – and it was great to see our team step up and look to serve each other."
In that record-setting opener, RMU shot 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from the floor and 9-of-10 (90.0 percent) at the free throw stripe. Wagner (10-17, 8-8 NEC) tied it early at 5-5 with a Jordan Hobson trey, but the Colonials countered with an Isabella Posset trifecta and two Nadège Pluviose free throws. Hobson again hit from range to pull the Seahawks within two, then Posset buried a jumper and Nina Augustin banked home a three to push the lead to 15-8.
The gap bounced between four and seven points for almost two minutes before RMU used eight unanswered points to take control. Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu scored on back-to-back possessions to start the run, then Pluviose hit a pair at the line. After Ozzy-Momodu split a pair of free throws to make it 27-15, Wagner got back on the board with a Janelle Mullen three. However, that was answered by a corner trey from Honoka Ikematsu and a fadeaway jumper by Nneka Ezeigbo, giving the Colonials 32 over the first 10 minutes.
"(Wagner) came out aggressive with us and we had to match it," said Buscaglia of the team's first quarter. "We did a great job of knocking shots down when we were open and attacking the basket with a physical presence. When we missed one, we were always right there to get a rebound and put it back in. It was very accountable basketball, and that was a great quarter to open up with."
The Seahawks trimmed the difference to 13 early in the second frame, but a 7-0 rally to close the half made it 49-28 at the break. Nia Adams drove into the lane for a couple of layups, while Ozzy-Momodu added three of her 12 first-half points in the stretch.
Augustin's trifecta from the wing extended RMU's lead to a game-high 22 points at 57-35 with 7:09 to play in the third. Wagner would pull within 15 with a 9-2 run – seven points coming from the line – but the Colonials responded with an 11-5 stretch over the third and fourth quarters to put the game away.
Ezeigbo paced RMU with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting – the second-straight game she's reached the 20-point mark. Ozzy-Momodu nearly posted a double-double with 16 points and nine caroms, while Posset added 14 points in the back court.
The Colonials' regular-season title is their seventh in program history and the third consecutive. The last team to win three straight NEC regular-season crowns was Saint Francis U, who captured four in a row from 2001-05.
RMU will enter the NEC Tournament as the top seed for just the third time in program history. The win also clinched a national postseason tournament berth for the fourth consecutive season – extending a record.
"It's great because we're teaching every day about earning everything that we get," said Buscaglia of clinching the NEC Tournament top seed. "Being able to now host is something that we earned, so it's great to have those moments to look at how you earned it, and the hard work and effort we've been putting in. We have to continue with that mentality and not allow that to distract that from the next game and next goals. I'm very proud of the team for that."
Robert Morris concludes its road slate on Monday, March 4 at 6:00 p.m. when it plays Sacred Heart.
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