Women's Basketball | 1/12/2020 5:42:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University women's basketball continues a season-long four-game home stand on Monday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m. when it welcomes St. Francis Brooklyn to Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials are one of three teams in the Northeast Conference (NEC) to own a 3-0 record, joining Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart. RMU owns victories over Central Connecticut (86-56), Merrimack (68-62), and Wagner (51-47).
RMU will be hosting
Back to School Night on Monday against the Terriers, and the first 250 students at the UPMC Events Center will receive a free t-shirt.
GAME #15
St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (5-9, 1-2 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (8-6, 3-0 NEC)
Monday, January 13, 2020 // 7:05 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center (4,000)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
Notes Package: St. Francis Brooklyn // Robert Morris
Tickets: Ticketmaster
History w/ St. Francis Brooklyn
Overall: 45-21 | Home: 24-9 | Away: 20-12 | Neutral: 1-0 | Streak: W2
Last Game: Feb. 23, 2019 – Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris 74, St. Francis Brooklyn 57
Robert Morris owns a significant edge over St. Francis Brooklyn in the all-time series, winning 45 of the 66 (.682) matchups. The Colonials have won four of the last five meetings, with the lone loss coming in Brooklyn Heights during the 2017-18 season.
RMU raced out to a 42-20 halftime lead in the last bout with the Terriers, ultimately cruising to a 74-57 victory on last season's Senior Day. Four Colonials reached double figures in scoring, with
Nneka Ezeigbo (16),
Nina Augustin (14),
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu (12), and
Isabella Posset (11) all meeting the mark.
In the first 2018-19 matchup at the Pope Center, RMU controlled throughout and took home a 75-56 triumph over St. Francis Brooklyn. Like the Moon Township clash, the Colonials grabbed a big halftime lead, holding a 42-25 advantage after 20 minutes. Ezeigbo led the way with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while
Esther Castedo added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Scouting the Terriers
Guided by second-year head coach Linda Cimino, St. Francis Brooklyn is 5-9 overall and 1-2 in the NEC. The Terriers captured their first league victory on Jan. 8 against Long Island, 88-63, but fell to Fairleigh Dickinson (62-57) and Saint Francis U (82-72). St. Francis Brooklyn owns notable non-conference triumphs against Army West Point (70-64), Loyola [Md.] (89-78), and Albany (49-41).
Three Terriers are averaging 14.0 points per game or more, led by senior guard Jade Johnson's 17.3 mark. Johnson leads the team in three-pointers made (40) and minutes played (38.1), while averaging 4.5 rebounds per contest. First-year guard Nevena Dimitrijevic is the NEC leader in assists (6.7) and averages 15.2 points per game, while junior forward Ally Lassen is at 14.0 points per contest on a 44.5 percent field goal rate.
St. Francis Brooklyn has one of the most efficient offenses in the NEC, ranking first in free throw percentage (.784) and three-point percentage (.355), second in field goal percentage (.401) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.83), and third in scoring offense (67.43) and turnover margin (+0.64). Conversely, the Terriers' defense has struggled, slotting 10th in field goal percentage defense (.440) and 11th in scoring defense (74.93), rebounding margin (-9.57), and blocked shots (1.14).
#NECNewYear
With victories at Central Connecticut and Merrimack last week, and against Wagner this past Saturday, Robert Morris has opened the conference slate with a 3-0 record for the 11th time in program history. The Colonials have achieved this in each of the last three seasons, and started 3-0 in four straight campaigns from 2008-09 to 2011-12.
RMU is 15-1 in conference openers since 2004-05 after an 86-56 victory against the Blue Devils on Jan. 2. The lone blemish during that stretch came on Dec. 31, 2016, a 69-59 loss at Sacred Heart.
The margin of victory in those 15 wins has been 16.5 points per game, with 11 of those triumphs coming by double-digits. The Colonials are now 22-13 all-time in ECAC Metro / NEC opening contests, with the largest margin of victory coming on Dec. 2, 2010 in a 72-36 triumph over St. Francis (N.Y.). In her conference debut, Artemis Spanou '14 registered an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Kristine Silaraja '11 added 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
The Defense (Never) Rests
Robert Morris prides itself on its defense and this season is no different. The Colonials rank 11th nationally in turnovers forced (22.43), 21st in turnover margin (+6.21) and steals (11.1), and 83rd in scoring defense (59.8) - all of those numbers topping the conference circuit.
Last season, RMU slotted 12th in the NCAA in scoring defense (55.3), 24th in turnovers forced (20.18), 26th in turnover margin (+4.18), and 32nd in steals (9.9). The Colonials have posted a top-25 scoring defense in each of the last three seasons, coming in at 25th in 2016-17 (57.0), and eighth in 2017-18 (54.1). The 2017-18 mark in a school record, breaking the previous standard set the year prior.
RMU is in the midst of an impressive streak, causing double-digit turnovers in each of its last 145 games. In 67 of those contests, the Colonials have forced 20 or more turnovers from their opponent - a number that includes nine such instances this season.
Bench Brigade
RMU's bench has come to play all season. It scored a season-high 30 points in a 86-56 win at Central Connecticut on Jan. 2, and has tallied double-digit points in 11 consecutive games and 13 contests overall.
Charlie Buscaglia has always had a strong bench since taking over as head coach prior to 2016-17. RMU is averaging 21.3 points per game from its bench this season, after getting 23.5 in 2018-19 and 20.0 in 2017-18.
The Colonials are 13-1 since 2016-17 when they receive 30 or more points from their bench.
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 8-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 628-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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