Women's Basketball | 3/21/2019 10:59:00 AM

GAME #33
#16 Robert Morris Colonials (22-10, 16-2 NEC) @ #1 Louisville Cardinals (29-3, 14-2 ACC)
Friday, March 22, 2019 // 12:00 p.m. // Louisville, Ky. – KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
2019 NCAA Tournament First Round – Albany Region
TV: ESPN2 // Live Stats: GoCards.com // Live Audio: ESPN PGH 970 HD2
- Beth Mowins, play-by-play; Nell Fortner, color commentary (ESPN2)
- Adam Gusky, play-by-play; Justin Pyles, color commentary (ESPN PGH 970 HD2)
 
Notes Package: Robert Morris // Louisville

Musket Shots
> The Robert Morris University women's basketball team will compete in its sixth NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 22 at noon when it faces the top seed in the Albany Regional in Louisville. This is the Colonials' third NCAA bid in four seasons, and fourth in six.
> Louisville is a brand-new opponent to RMU, and its fourth ACC foe in six trips to the dance. The Colonials previously played Notre Dame in 2014 and 2017, and North Carolina State in their first NCAA Tournament in 2007.
> RMU punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 65-54 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis U this past Sunday. The Colonials earned revenge on the Red Flash, who topped them last year's final, 66-56. RMU also completed a three-game season sweep of SFU for the first time since 2012.
> Nneka Ezeigbo was named NEC Tournament MVP after averaging 15.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.7 steals over three postseason games. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Nina Augustin, who averaged 13.0 points on 46.1 percent shooting and 3.3 assists in the three wins.
> Robert Morris boasts one of the top defenses in the nation statistically, ranking 13th in scoring defense (54.8), 23rd in turnovers forced (20.28), 25th in turnover margin (+4.25), and 48th in field goal percentage defense (.369).
 
NCAA Tournament History
Overall: 0-5 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-3 | Neutral: 0-2 | Streak: L5
Last Game: March 17, 2017; Notre Dame, Ind. – #1 Notre Dame 79, #16 Robert Morris 49 (NCAA First Round)
> Robert Morris has never faced off against Louisville in its history. The Cardinals are the Colonials' first ACC opponent since Notre Dame in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and their 14th overall.
> RMU last made the NCAA Tournament in 2017 when it matched up against top seed Notre Dame. The Colonials kept the contest between 10-14 points for the entirety of the first half, but ultimately fell to the Fighting Irish, 79-49. Notre Dame jumped out to a 10-0 lead before RMU came storming back with a Nia Adams layup, two triples by Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17, and a Rebcca Navarro '17 elbow jumper. Stamolamprou led all scorers with 19 points, while Megan Smith '18 added 10.
> The Colonials' fell in their first NCAA trip to fourth-seeded North Carolina State, 84-52. RMU received a 20-point, 18-rebound double-double from Sugeiry Monsac '07, while Chinata Nesbit '08 matched her in the scoresheet with 20 points.
 
Scouting the Cardinals
> Louisville is the top seed in the Albany Region, earning a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season. Guided by 12th-year head coach Jeff Walz, the Cardinals own a 29-3 overall record and captured their second straight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship. Louisville is ranked No. 5 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' Poll.
> Senior guard Asia Durr has collected numerous awards in her final hurrah, including her second ACC Player of the Year honor and All-America First Team accolades from espnW. Durr ranks 14th nationally in scoring (21.3) and 34th in three-pointers (2.8), while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 82.6 percent at the free throw stripe. Sophomore guard Dana Evans, the ACC Sixth Player of the Year, slots second on the team in scoring (10.5) and ranks 37th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.27). Fourth-year forward Sam Fuehring also averages double figures in scoring at 10.2 points per game, while junior forward Kylee Shook is the team's top rim protector at 1.6 blocks per contest.
> Louisville features an incredibly efficient offense, ranking 12th nationally in field goal percentage (.471) and 14th in scoring (79.0). The Cardinals also slot 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.37), 13th in turnover margin (+5.44), 34th in free throw percentage (.751), and 43rd in three-pointers made (8.0).
 
Champs Again
> This past Sunday, Robert Morris earned its eighth NEC Tournament championship with a 65-54 victory over Saint Francis U. The win punched the Colonials' ticket to their sixth NCAA Tournament, marking the third time in the last four seasons they have advanced to the dance. RMU withstood an 11-0 fourth-quarter run by the Red Flash to hang on, getting late threes from Nina Augustin and Esther Castedo to pull away.
> Nneka Ezeigbo was named NEC Tournament MVP after averaging 15.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.7 steals over the three postseason games. Ezeigbo posted her second straight double-double against SFU, tallying 11 points and 12 rebounds. Augustin also earned All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 13.0 points on 46.1 percent shooting and 3.3 assists in the three wins.
 
NEC's Finest
> For the third consecutive season, Charlie Buscaglia was named Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year. Buscaglia is the first league coach to win the award in three straight years, and now is one shy of tying Bill Sheahan of Mount St. Mary's and Ed Swanson of Sacred Heart for the conference record. The third-year coach became the fastest to reach 50 career wins in program history, nabbing the victory in his 76th try - a 64-63 win over Delaware State on Dec. 18.
> Nneka Ezeigbo collected NEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-NEC First Team accolades. Ezeigbo - the program's first DPOY recipient since Angela Pace '10 in 2010 - was the league's only player to rank in the top eight of both blocks (1.4, 4th) and steals (1.7, 8th), collecting multiple steals in 17 contests and two or more blocks in 10. She also slots fourth in rebounding (7.8), 10th in field goal percentage (.472), and 11th in scoring (12.6) despite playing just 24.8 minutes per contest. Ezeigbo previously made the Rookie and Second Teams in her previous two seasons.
> Isabella Posset became RMU's 11th All-NEC Rookie Team selection since 2009-10. A three-time NEC Rookie of the Week winner, Posset paces the Colonials in minutes (25.7), assists (2.8), and steals (1.9), while slotting second in scoring (7.8). She ranks fifth in the NEC in steals and 12th in assists, and paces her rookie counterparts in both categories.
 
Firing On All Cylinders
> Nneka Ezeigbo has been as reliable as they come down the stretch. In the last 11 contests, the junior is averaging 16.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.6 steals. She has scored in double figures in 10 of those 11 games and posted four double-doubles. Ezeigbo tallied a career-high 30 points on Feb. 25 against LIU Brooklyn, and matched her career best with five blocks on March 7 against Saint Francis U.
> Nina Augustin has played the best basketball of her career over the last nine games, averaging 12.6 points on 45.0 percent shooting from deep, 3.0 three-pointers, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. After coming off the bench since Dec. 15 against Pitt-Johnstown, the sophomore returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 16 at Mount St. Mary's and scored a career-high 18 points (6-12 3PT) two days later at Saint Francis U.
 
Leap, Not Slump
> One of the NEC's most improved players has to be Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu. As a freshman in 2017-18, she averaged just 0.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 3.6 minutes per game in 17 contests. After reaching double-figures scoring for the seventh time this season at Wagner (16 points), she's upped her per-game averages to 6.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 15.1 minutes as a sophomore.
> Ozzy-Momodu doesn't have quite enough field goal attempts to qualify, but if she did, she would rank first in the NEC in field goal percentage (.574). According to the women's basketball analytics website, HerHoopStats.com, the sophomore ranks second nationally in defensive rebounding rate (33.1%) and fourth in total rebounding rate (24.3%).
 
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. Nine 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), Feb. 11 against Central Connecticut (40), and March 11 against Fairleigh Dickinson (38). The Colonials held the Knights to a 27.3 percent (12-44) clip from the floor, making them the 21th different opponent to shoot under 30 percent since 2016-17.
> The Colonials forced 20 turnovers against Saint Francis U, the 19th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.28 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 23rd nationally. According to HerHoopStats.com, RMU's defensive turnover rate is 25.4 percent, which is the sixth best behind Hartford, Lamar, Quinnipiac, Kentucky, and Florida Gulf Coast.
> Through 32 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 54.8 points per game, which also slots 13th 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.
 
Battling the Best
> The Colonials' non-conference schedule was one of their toughest ones over the last few years, with a total of five teams earning national postseason bids. Iowa (26-6, 14-4 Big Ten), the No. 8 team in both national polls, is the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region of the NCAA Tournament. James Madison (25-5, 17-1 CAA), Kent State (19-12, 11-7 MAC), Loyola Marymount (18-14, 10-8 WCC), and Youngstown State (22-9, 13-5 Horizon) all will play in the Postseason WNIT, along with NEC foe Sacred Heart (19-12, 14-4 NEC), who earned its bid following RMU's NEC Tournament championship.
 
Turn Off the Lights
> The North Athletic Complex has served as Robert Morris' temporary home for two seasons, but this past Sunday's NEC Championship Game was its last hurrah for the women's team. The Colonials went 29-5 in the facility, including a perfect 22-0 against NEC opponents. RMU will move into its new home, the UPMC Events Center, prior to the 2019-20 season.
> The Colonials' 65-54 win in the 2019 NEC Championship Game was similar to one two years prior. In the 2017 NEC Championship Game, RMU played their final game at the Charles L. Sewall Center, home of both basketball teams and volleyball since November 1985. The top-seeded Colonials defeated fourth-seeded Bryant, 65-52, to close "The Chuck" with an NCAA Tournament dance.
 
Up for the Moment
> Isabella Posset was a key figure in the Colonials' NEC Championship Game victory over Saint Francis U this past Sunday. Trailing 10-6 at the first media timeout, RMU finished the opening frame on a 14-2 run, thanks to seven points in the final 53 seconds by Posset. The freshman buried a three, then was fouled with five seconds left. She made the first and missed the second, but Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu grabbed the offensive board and dished it to her for a buzzer-beating trifecta and unconventional four-point play.
> Posset scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first quarter, becoming the second Colonial this season to reach double-figures after 10 minutes of play. On Nov. 17 at Bowling Green, Megan Callahan scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the first quarter.
 
Three-Ring Club
> With Robert Morris' 65-54 win over Saint Francis U in the NEC Championship Game, senior Nia Adams and fifth-year Shakema Dashiell added their names to the NEC Three-Ring Club. There's a total of 34 players who have been a part of at least three NEC Tournament championship squads, including former three Colonials in Janee Brown '17, Rebeca Navarro '17, and Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17.
 
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 22-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 620-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.

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