GAME #29
Saint Francis U Red Flash (14-15, 11-6 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (18-10, 15-2 NEC)
Thursday, March 7, 2019 // 6:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – North Athletic Complex (1,000)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
Adam Gusky, play-by-play; Justin Pyles, color commentary
 
Notes Package: Saint Francis U // Robert Morris

Musket Shots
> The Robert Morris University women's basketball team concludes its regular-season slate on Thursday, March 7 with a renewal of its rivalry with Saint Francis U. The Colonials own the top spot in the NEC standings with a 15-2 record, but fell in their last contest at Sacred Heart, 54-45. The Red Flash need a win or losses by St. Francis Brooklyn and either Bryant or Sacred Heart to secure the third seed in next week's NEC Tournament.
> Already assured of the top seed in the NEC Tournament for the third time in program history, RMU will face either Central Connecticut or Fairleigh Dickinson in next Monday's quarterfinal contest. The Knights can clinch their spot with a win over LIU Brooklyn, while the Blue Devils need a win over St. Francis Brooklyn and a FDU loss to continue their season.
> Nneka Ezeigbo has been on another planet for RMU as of late. In the last seven games, Ezeigbo is averaging 18.1 points on 60.0 percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks. The junior has reached double-figure scoring in 14 of 17 NEC contests.
> The Colonials have won their last 23 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 13th nationally at 55.2 points per game. The Colonials finished eighth in that category last season.
 
Series History w/ Saint Francis U
Overall: 44-41 | Home: 24-14 | Away: 16-25 | Neutral: 1-2 | Streak: W1
Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2019; Loretto, Pa. – Robert Morris 66, Saint Francis U 60
> This is the 85th edition of the Robert Morris/Saint Francis U rivalry, a series that sees the Colonials own a slight 44-41 edge over the Red Flash. RMU has won eight of the last nine meetings in Moon Township, headlined by a 78-64 victory in the 2014 NEC Championship Game.
> In their most recent meeting, the Colonials defeated the Red Flash, 66-60. The game featured seven lead changes and seven more deadlocks, but RMU pulled through with an 11-4 run over the final three minutes. Nina Augustin scored a career-high 18 points on 6-of-12 from deep, while the Colonial defense held reigning NEC Player of the Year Jessica Kovatch to just six points on 1-of-9 shooting.
> Despite turning the ball over 33 times, RMU topped SFU in their last Moon Township meeting, 63-62, behind a buzzer-beating three by Megan Smith '18. Honoka Ikematsu had 15 points to lead the Colonials, while Nneka Ezeigbo posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.
 
Scouting the Red Flash
> Under the direction of interim head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl, Saint Francis U sits tied for third in the NEC standings with an 11-6 mark and needs a win or losses by St. Francis Brooklyn and either Bryant or Sacred Heart to claim the third seed in next week's NEC Tournament.
> Senior guard Jessica Kovatch, the reigning NEC Player of the Year, is having another fantastic season, pacing the league in scoring (21.4) and three-pointers made (3.8), while ranking third in free throw percentage (.851). Fellow fourth-year Courtney Zezza paces the circuit in blocks (2.9), while sophomore Haley Thomas ranks second in free throw percentage (.868).
> SFU features the second-highest scoring offense in the NEC at 72.5 points per game and tops the league in three-pointers made (9.7) and blocks (4.4). The Red Flash also slot third in field goal percentage (.403), three-point field goal percentage (.341), free throw percentage (.725), and steals (8.6), but rank at the bottom in scoring defense (76.3) and rebounding defense (41.2).
 
Easy as 1-2-3
> Robert Morris is the NEC regular-season champions for the third consecutive season, first clinching a share of the crown on Feb. 25 against LIU Brooklyn (71-54) before winning it outright last Saturday at Wagner (77-57). This is the first time that the Colonials have won three straight regular-season titles, previously capturing championships in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2017, and 2018.
> RMU's victory over the Seahawks also clinched a national postseason tournament for the fourth consecutive year, extending a program record. The Colonials played in the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Tournaments before participating in last year's Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). In its history, RMU has played in eight postseason tournaments (5 NCAA, 2 WNIT, 1 WBI).
> The Colonials clinched a share of the regular-season title in their 15th league game and won it outright in its 16th game, matching the 2010 team that finished 17-1 in the NEC. The other five regular-season crowns have been secured on the final day of the conference schedule, whether that be shared titles (2007, 2008, 2018), or outright (2014, 2017).
 
Ezeigbo Knows
> Nneka Ezeigbo has been unguardable inside over her last seven games, averaging 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 60.0 percent (60-100 FG) from the field. She's reached double figures in scoring in 12 of RMU's last 13 games, and has pulled down double-digit caroms in six of those matchups.
> The junior center ranks among the best in the NEC in a bevy of categories. She ranks fourth in rebounding (7.6), fifth in blocked shots (1.2), seventh in steals (1.7), 10th in field goal percentage (.475), and 11th in scoring (12.4), despite playing just 24.2 minutes per contest. She's the only player in the top seven of both blocks and steals in the NEC, and paces the circuit with a per-game average of 4.3 offensive rebounds in conference contests.
> On Feb. 27, Ezeigbo brought home NEC Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.0 points on 61.8 shooting, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in wins over St. Francis Brooklyn and LIU Brooklyn. Ezeigbo scored a career-high 30 points against the Blackbirds - the most for a Colonial since Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17 tied the school record with 39 on Jan. 9, 2017 - and pulled down 11 rebounds to complete her sixth double-double of the season. It was the second Player of the Week plaudit of Ezeigbo's career, and her fourth weekly award in all.
 
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' 77-57 victory at Wagner this past Saturday, they are now 20-0 when scoring 70 since Buscaglia took over in 2016-17.
> RMU has reached the mark in eight 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, and then hit the mark in three straight contests against St. Francis Brooklyn (74-57), LIU Brooklyn (71-54), and the Seahawks.
 
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 6.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 15.7 minutes as a sophomore.
> Ozzy-Momodu doesn't have quite enough field goal attempts to qualify, but if she did, she would rank second in the NEC in field goal percentage (.561). According to the women's basketball analytics website, HerHoopStats.com, the sophomore ranks second nationally in defensive rebounding rate (32.6%) and seventh in total rebounding rate (23.7%).
 
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 28 turnovers against Wagner last Saturday, the 16th game in which they have made their opponent make 20 or more mistakes. They're averaging 20.39 forced turnovers a game, a mark that leads the NEC and ranks 25th nationally. Last season, RMU forced 20 or more turnovers on 15 occasions.
> Through 28 games, RMU currently paces the NEC in scoring defense by allowing 55.2 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.
 
In March, We Play in Moon
> For the third time in program history, Robert Morris clinched the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament and won't have to leave Moon Township for the duration of its conference postseason run. The Colonials are 21-2 all-time in tournament home games, with their only defeats coming in the 1996 play-in and 2015 title tilt, and is 7-1 throughout the years as the No. 1 seed.
> RMU's NEC Tournament opponent next Monday will either be Fairleigh Dickinson or Central Connecticut. The Knights can clinch the No. 8 seed with a victory, while the Blue Devils need to defeat St. Francis Brooklyn and have FDU fall.
 
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 18-0 in such situations this season and went 25-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 616-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.

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