Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball program, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia, has announced a 29-game schedule for the 2019-20 season that features 14 home contests at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center, 11 non-conference games, and a pair of first-time opponents.
"Our passion with our schedule is to find a great balance in all areas," said Buscaglia. "Our non-conference schedule has five home games, and six on the road. We were able to accomplish missing only one day of classes, which is always first on the priority list. This schedule is full of very strong opponents that will each present their own challenges. We will need to embrace each of these challenges with hands wide open and a full heart, and look to improve with each experience."
LINK: 2019-20 Women's Basketball Schedule
LINK: 2019-20 Women's Basketball Opponent Breakdown
LINK: 2019-20 Basketball Season Ticket Brochure
A full breakdown of the Colonials' 2019-20 schedule can be found below.
New Season, New Home
After two seasons in the North Athletic Complex, Robert Morris opens its new home, Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center, in 2019-20. The Colonials are slated to play 14 games in the 4,000-seat arena, with the first of those coming on Wednesday, Nov. 13 against Youngstown State. RMU will also host Columbia (Saturday, Nov. 17), Pitt-Johnstown (Wednesday, Nov. 27), Xavier (Saturday, Dec. 1), and Delaware (Sunday, Dec. 7) in the non-conference slate, and nine Northeast Conference (NEC) foes after the turn of the calendar.
Under Buscaglia, the Colonials have been nearly unbeatable at home. RMU went 29-5 (.853) in two seasons at the North Athletic Complex, a record that includes a perfect 22-0 mark against NEC opponents. In fact, the Colonials have won their last 32 home contests versus league foes, a stretch that includes the 2017, 2018, and 2019 NEC Tournaments.
NEC Schedule
Winners of the last three NEC regular-season titles, RMU will face eight of its conference mates twice and the other two just once over an 18-game slate. The Colonials will only play Long Island (Saturday, Jan. 25) and Bryant (Monday, Feb. 3) once, with the Bulldogs making the trip to Moon Township. RMU opens conference play on Thursday, Jan. 2 at Central Connecticut, and welcomes Wagner on Saturday, Jan. 11 for its first NEC home game – a contest that kicks off the team's longest home stand of four games.
Non-Conference Breakdown
The Colonials are set to play five home and six away contests in the non-conference portion of their schedule. This is the third straight season that RMU has hosted at least five non-league games, after playing six at home in both 2017-18 and 2018-19. Two years ago, the Colonials went 7-4 to open the season, matching their program record of seven out-of-league victories that was originally set by the 1986-87. That run included a five-game winning streak, which established a new non-conference standard.
Battling the Best
For the eighth consecutive season, RMU will play a Power 5 opponent as it opens the 2019-20 campaign at TCU on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The Horned Frogs went 24-11 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12 last season, ending the year with a defeat at Arizona in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Semifinals. TCU is one of four non-conference opponents for the Colonials that made the WNIT last season, joining Youngstown State, Kent State, and James Madison, who also made the semifinal round. Additionally, RMU will host Xavier on Saturday, Dec. 1, which marks the first time the Colonials have hosted a Big East opponent since Dec. 6, 2005 (Pittsburgh).
Pack Your Bags
Robert Morris' longest road trip of the season last five games from Dec. 15, 2019 to Jan. 4, 2020. The Colonials begin the stretch at Rhode Island, who is one of six holdover non-conference opponents this season. RMU follows that up with its first visit to Norfolk State on Wednesday, Dec. 18, and closes out-of-league play on Sunday, Dec. 29 at James Madison. On NEC opening weekend, the Colonials travel to Central Connecticut on Thursday, Jan. 2, and league newcomer Merrimack on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Quick Start
The Colonials will commence the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, Nov. 5 when they travel to TCU. This edges out last season's opener at Youngstown State (Nov. 6, 2018) as the earliest RMU has begun a campaign.
Rivalry Renewed
RMU and Saint Francis U have met in the last two NEC Tournament title games, with each winning one. The Colonials and Red Flash renew their rivalry for the first time in 2019-20 on Monday, Feb. 17 at DeGol Arena, and square off in the regular-season finale for the second consecutive year on Thursday, March 5 in Moon Township. Last season, RMU completed a three-game season sweep of SFU for the first time since 2011-12 to take a 46-41 lead in the all-time series.
Television Exposure
Last season, Robert Morris played a total of seven games on ESPN networks (3 ESPN3, 2 ESPN+, 1 ESPN2, 1 ESPNU) and an eighth on Big Ten Network Plus. The NEC's alignment with ESPN3 will see the Colonials play a yet-to-be determined amount of games on the platform. Since 2013-14, RMU has had 36 of its contests broadcast under the ESPN banner.
Returning to RMU
The Colonials welcome back nine players from last season's NCAA Tournament team, including NEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-NEC First Team selection Nneka Ezeigbo (Ewing, N.J.) and Rookie Team honoree Isabella Posset (Beaver, Pa.). Out of the nine returnees, one is a senior, four are juniors, one is a redshirt sophomore, and three are true sophomores.
Welcome to Hoop Township
RMU will welcome five newcomers into the fold this season. First-year guard Dahomée Forgues (Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec) and forward Trinity Papamandjaris (London, Ontario) signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) with the program in November of 2018, and freshman forward Ramatoulaye Keïta (Bamako, Mali) inked her NLI in April of 2019. Junior forward Holly Forbes (Bonne Terre, Mo.) also signed in April after a NJCAA All-American career at Mineral Area College, and sophomore post Sydney Palermo (Erie, Pa.) will sit out the 2019-20 season following her transfer from Bowling Green.
Don't Miss Out
Robert Morris women's basketball individual game tickets will go on sale in October. More information will be provided at a later date. Season tickets for women's basketball are also available and can be purchased by calling the RMU Athletic Ticket Office at (412) 397-4949 or online via Ticketmaster.
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