Women's Basketball | 1/24/2020 11:45:00 AM
Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University women's basketball team will attempt to compete its third consecutive unbeaten January with a two-game road swing in the Big Apple, beginning on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2:00 p.m. against the newly-rebranded Long Island Sharks. The Colonials are the only Northeast Conference (NEC) unbeaten at 6-0, most recently capturing a pair of home victories by a combined 52 points against Merrimack (72-50) and Sacred Heart (73-43).
GAME #18
Robert Morris Colonials (11-6, 6-0 NEC) @ Long Island Sharks (3-14, 2-4 NEC)
Saturday, January 25, 2020 // 2:00 p.m. // Brooklyn, N.Y. – Steinberg Wellness Center (2,500)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: LIUAthletics.com
Notes Package: Robert Morris // Long Island
Hello Brooklyn (History w/ Long Island)
Overall: 51-16 | Home: 30-6 | Away: 21-10 | Neutral: 0-0 | Streak: W17
Last Game: Feb. 25, 2019 – Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris 71, LIU Brooklyn 54
Robert Morris has dominated the all-time series against Long Island, winning 51 of 67 matchups. The Colonials have won 17 consecutive meetings by an average of 18.8 points - a stretch that includes 12 double-digit triumphs and four wins of 30 points or more.
In the most recent meeting, RMU clinched a share of its third consecutive NEC regular-season title with a 71-54 victory over LIU Brooklyn at the North Athletic Complex.
Nneka Ezeigbo finished with a double-double, scoring a career-high 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds.
The Colonials set a new school record for largest margin of victory on the road with an 89-37 rout over the Blackbirds on Jan. 14, 2019. The 52-point blistering was the fifth largest in program history and surpassed the 43-point road win at Mercyhurst in 1983-84.
Esther Castedo led the way with 17 points (7-12 FG, 3-7 3PT) for RMU, while
Isabella Posset added 14 on 4-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds.
The Blueprint
First-year head coach Rene Haynes arrived in Brooklyn after spending five seasons as an assistant at Duke, and has Long Island at 3-14 overall and 2-4 in the NEC. The Sharks have captured victories over Hofstra (85-46), Fairleigh Dickinson (68-63), and Central Connecticut (63-61), and lost their last two games by a combined six points - one of those defeats coming in overtime.
Sophomore guard Brandy Thomas is one of three players averaging double figures in scoring, leading the way at 13.41 points per game. Thomas also ranks fifth in the NEC in rebounding (8.12) and sixth in steals (1.71), in addition to her ninth slot in points. Fellow second-year forward Kiara Bell is fourth in the league on the glass (8.35) and third in blocks (1.65), while sophomore guard Ryan Weise slots second in assists (3.76) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56). Junior guard Jeydah Johnson is averaging 10.59 points per game - the same as Bell.
LIU is one of the better defensive teams in the NEC, ranking second in steals (9.88) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.408), three-point field goal percentage defense (3.08), and blocks (3.82). The Sharks also lead the league in rebounding margin (+1.35), but rank near the bottom in free throw percentage (.668, 9th), three-point field goals made (5.71, 9th), and field goal percentage (.351, 11th).
Run This Town
Sophomore guard
Isabella Posset has flourished as of late, and on Wednesday was named NEC Player of the Week for the first time. Posset averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 steals, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game in Robert Morris' wins over Merrimack and Sacred heart, and converted 64.3 percent of her field goal attempts while going a 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
With a career-high eight steals - tied for the second most in RMU single-game history - against the Pioneers, Posset became the 27th Colonial to reach 100 career steals. The sophomore did so in just 50 collegiate appearances, which is the fourth quickest time to reach that milestone behind Kathy Frederick '88, Sugeiry Monsac '07, and Angela Pace '10.
For the season, Posset is averaging 2.53 steals per game, which leads the NEC and ranks 36th nationally. Since the start of conference play, she is averaging 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 assists per contest, and is shooting at a 52.4-percent (11-21) clip from deep.
Can't Knock The Hustle
Robert Morris prides itself on its defense and this season is no different. The Colonials entered the weekend ranked 10th nationally in turnovers forced (22.00), 14th in steals (11.4), 21st in turnover margin (+5.88), 36th in scoring defense (57.3), and 63rd in field goal percentage defense (.368) - the first four numbers also 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 148 games. In 69 of those contests, the Colonials have forced 20 or more turnovers from their opponent - a number that includes 11 such instances this season.
The Ruler's Back
Nneka Ezeigbo has carved out one of the best careers in program history, and she has done so despite sharing time at the center position with
Mikalah Mulrain '18 and
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu. On Monday against Sacred Heart, the senior recorded more points than minutes played for the eighth time in her career, and the third time this season.
Ezeigbo finished with 24 points (9-17 FG, 6-6 FT) in 23 minutes versus the Pioneers, a performance that joined Jan. 2 at Central Connecticut (24 pts, 10-12 FG, 4-5 FT, 22 min) and Nov. 24 at Kent State (18 pts, 8-9 FG, 2-3 FT, 17 min) in 2019-20. The five other instances include her career-high 30-point performance (13-20 FG, 4-4 FT) in 28 minutes against LIU Brooklyn last season, a 21-point effort (9-10 FG, 3-4 FT) in 18 minutes in the 2018 NEC Tournament semifinals, and a 1.23 point-per-minute outing as a freshman against Mount St. Mary's (16 pts, 13 mins).
Change Clothes
The Colonial bench has produced all season long, averaging 22.6 points per game and 9.4 more than their opponents' reserves. The unit has tallied double-digit points in 14 consecutive games and 16 contests overall, while hitting the 20-point mark in six 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.
The Colonial bench has scored 30 or more points twice this season, highlighted by a season-high 34-point effort in a 72-50 win against Merrimack last Saturday. Since 2016-17, RMU is 14-1 when it receives 30 or more points from its reserves.
Politics As Usual
Robert Morris has opened the conference slate with a 6-0 record for the fifth time in program history. The Colonials have achieved this in each of the last three seasons, and also started 6-0 in 2005-06 and 2010-11.
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.
Feelin' It
Since the calendar flipped over to 2020, junior center
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu and sophomore guard
Isabella Posset have raised their games up a level. Off the strength of career performances against Merrimack, they - along with senior center
Nneka Ezeigbo - are averaging double-digit points in the Colonials' six NEC contests.
Ozzy-Momodu posted a 17-point, 17-rebound double-double last Saturday against the Warriors, and is averaging 11.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 16.7 minutes per game during conference contests. She is also converting at a 56.0 percent conversion rate from the floor this calendar year. Posset tallied a career-tying 16 points (6-9 FG, 4-4 3PT) versus Merrimack, and has scored in double figures in all but one of league tilts thus far.
Public Service Announcement
Robert Morris has never lost a game in which it has held the lead at the end of the second half. The Colonials are 11-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 631-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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