Women's Basketball | 1/17/2020 12:00:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University women's basketball hits the back half of its season-long four-game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 1:00 p.m. when it hosts Northeast Conference (NEC) newcomer Merrimack to Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials are the lone unbeaten in the league at 4-0, with Saint Francis U (4-1), Mount St. Mary's (3-1), and Sacred Heart (3-1) on their heels. RMU took the first matchup with the Warriors, 68-62, on Jan. 4.
GAME #16
Merrimack Warriors (10-6, 3-2 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (9-6, 4-0 NEC)
Saturday, January 18, 2020 // 1:00 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: Merrimack // Robert Morris
Tickets: Ticketmaster
History w/ Merrimack
Overall: 1-0 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 1-0 | Neutral: 0-0 | Streak: W1
Last Game: Jan. 4, 2020 – North Andover, Mass. – Robert Morris 68, Merrimack 62
Robert Morris was victorious in its first-ever meeting with Merrimack, knocking off the Warriors on their home floor, 68-62. Saturday will mark the inaugural matchup between the two sides in Moon Township.
Two Saturdays ago, RMU withstood a furious comeback attempt by Merrimack to move to 2-0 in the NEC. The Colonials led by as many as 19 points in the final frame, and used a couple of defensive stops and four free throws to seal the win.
RMU's center duo of
Nneka Ezeigbo and
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu dominated inside, with both flirting with double-doubles. Ezeigbo led the way with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, while Ozzy-Momodu provided 10 points, nine caroms, and a block off the bench.
Scouting the Warriors
Led by ninth-year head coach Monique LeBlanc, Merrimack is currently 10-6 overall and 3-2 in the NEC, capturing three consecutive victories against Bryant (78-66), Central Connecticut (65-56), and Mount St. Mary's (76-55). The Warriors owned the league's best non-conference record at 7-4 with notable wins over UMass (79-64), Brown (72-57), and Vermont (78-53).
Senior forward Denia Davis-Stewart is having one of the best seasons of any NEC player in 2019-20. She paces the conference in scoring (18.6), rebounding (13.8), and blocks (5.0), and has been named NEC Player of the Week four times this season. Sophomore guard Kate Mager is also averaging double-figures in scoring at 10.9 points per game, and is second in the league in three-pointers made (2.6). Freshman guard Jayme DeCesare has also started every game for Merrimack, averaging 9.6 points and a team-best 3.7 assists per contest.
The Warriors rank near the top of the NEC in most statistical categories, leading in scoring offense (69.00), scoring margin (+9.63), field goal percentage (.400), field goal percentage defense (.344), three-point field goal percentage (.358), three-point field goal percentage defense (.259), blocked shots (6.94), assists (15.13), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.02), and three-point field goals made (9.25). Merrimack also slots second in scoring defense (59.38) and free throw percentage (.752).
One is the Loneliest Number
For the second time since NCAA Division I women's basketball moved to four quarters, Robert Morris held its opponent to a single point in a quarter when it outscored St. Francis Brooklyn, 21-1, in the third quarter on Monday. The Terriers finished 0-of-14 from the field in the frame, including a 0-of-5 mark on three-point attempts. The Colonials forced five turnovers in the period and outrebounded their opponents, 20-9.
RMU previously accomplished this feat on Jan. 8, 2018, limiting St. Francis Brooklyn to one point in the opening stanza of a 59-36 victory. Prior to that, the Colonials' record for fewest opponent points in a quarter came on Jan. 9, 2017 when they jumped out to a 23-3 lead against LIU Brooklyn, ultimately winning 83-42.
The Defense (Never) Rests
Robert Morris prides itself on its defense and this season is no different. The Colonials rank 12th nationally in turnovers forced (21.87), 22nd in turnover margin (+5.67) and steals (10.9), and 58th in scoring defense (58.7) - 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 146 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.
#NECNewYear
Robert Morris has opened the conference slate with a 4-0 record for the eighth time in program history. The Colonials have achieved this in each of the last three seasons, and also started 4-0 in three straight campaigns from 2004-05 to 2006-07.
RMU is 15-1 in conference openers since 2004-05 after an 86-56 victory at Central Connecticut 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 lidlifter 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.
Bench Brigade
The Colonial bench has produced all season long, averaging 21.8 points per game and 8.5 more than their opponents' reserves. The unit has tallied double-digit points in 12 consecutive games and 14 contests overall, while hitting the 25-point mark in four straight contests.
Charlie Buscaglia has always had a strong bench since taking over as head coach prior to 2016-17. RMU received 23.5 points per game from its reserves in 2018-19 and 20.0 in 2017-18.
In an 86-56 win at Central Connecticut on Jan. 2, the Colonial bench scored a season-high 30 points. Since 2016-17, RMU is 13-1 when it receives 30 or more points from its reserves.
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 9-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 629-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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