Women's Basketball | 1/3/2020 12:27:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University women's basketball finishes up its season-long five-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 1:00 p.m. with its first-ever matchup against Merrimack. The Colonials are coming off an 86-56 victory at Central Connecticut in their Northeast Conference (NEC) opener, while the Warriors fell at Sacred Heart, 63-60. RMU returns home next for its longest home stand of four games, beginning Saturday, Jan. 11 against Wagner.
GAME #13
Robert Morris Colonials (6-6, 1-0 NEC) @ Merrimack Warriors (7-5, 0-1 NEC)
Saturday, January 4, 2020 // 1:00 p.m. // North Andover, Mass. – Hammel Court (1,200)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: MerrimackAthletics.com
Notes Package: Robert Morris // Merrimack
History w/ Merrimack
Overall: 0-0 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0 | Streak: N/A
Last Game: N/A
This is the first meeting between Robert Morris and Merrimack after the Warriors joined the Northeast Conference ahead of the 2019-20 academic year.
This is the first time since the 2008-09 season that RMU will face a new opponent in the conference slate. The last instance came on Feb. 2, 2009, when the Colonials defeated Bryant in Moon Township, 91-80. Sade Logan '09 scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-27 shooting, while Monet Johnson (20 pts, 16 reb) and Kendra Williams '09 (17 pts, 10 reb) posted double-doubles.
Scouting the Warriors
Merrimack compiled the NEC's best non-conference record at 7-4 with notable victories over UMass (79-64), Brown (72-57), and Vermont (78-53), but fell in its league debut at Sacred Heart, 63-60. Led by ninth-year head coach Monique LeBlanc, the Warriors were selected by the NEC coaches to finish 11th.
Merrimack's success starts with senior forward Denia Davis-Stewart. The three-time NEC Player of the Week and last season's Northeast 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 5.0 blocks per game to go along with her team-best 18.4 points and 13.7 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Kate Mager is behind her in the scoring column at 10.7 points per game, and leads the NEC in three-point percentage (.448). Junior forward Alyssa Casey is also averaging double figures in the scoresheet at 10.4 points per contest.
The Warriors own the circuit's top scoring offense (68.58), scoring defense (58.75), scoring margin (+9.83), field goal percentage defense (.347), three-point percentage (.361), three-point percentage defense (.262), blocked shots (6.75), assists (16.00), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.11), and three-point field goals made (9.75). Merrimack ranks near the top of most of the other statistical categories, but gives up a league-high 43.67 rebounds per game on the defensive glass.
#NECNewYear
After its 86-56 victory at Central Connecticut on Jan. 2, Robert Morris is now 15-1 in conference openers since 2004-05. 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.
One particular player that has excelled in conference openers? Junior center
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu. In the aforementioned win at Central Connecticut, Ozzy-Momodu provided 13 points (6-9 FG), nine rebounds, and three steals in 15 minutes off the bench. The year prior against Mount St. Mary's, the then-sophomore from London, England tallied a career-high 17 points (8-11 FG) to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes.
Queens of the Decade
Robert Morris was one of three teams with multiple representatives on the NEC Team of the Decade, with Artemis Spanou '14 and Anna Niki Stamolamprou '17 each earning the honor. Spanou was chosen by the 10-person panel as the Player of the Decade.
Spanou, a native of Rhodes, Greece, was a two-time NEC Player of the Year who owns the program career records in points (2,124), field goals made (743), free throws made (505), rebounds (1,563), and rebounding average (12.6). She's fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history in double-doubles (85) and was the nation's leading rebounder in 2013 with a mark of 15.5 caroms per game. At the conclusion of her career, Spanou was one of seven student-athletes in NCAA Division I annals to accumulate career totals of 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 blocks.
Stamolamprou, a product of Thessaloniki, Greece, captured back-to-back NEC Tournament MVP awards in 2016 and 2017 and won NEC Player of the Year as a senior. She played in four NEC Championship Games, winning three of them in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Stamolamprou ranks in the top three of the RMU record books in three-point field goals (283 – 1st), points (1,815 – 2nd), games started (122 – t-2nd), and assists (373 – 3rd). She and Spanou are the only two players in program history to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 assists in their careers.
The Defense (Never) Rests
Robert Morris prides itself on its defense and this season is no different. The Colonials rank ninth nationally in turnovers forced (23.17), 11th in turnover margin (+8.00), and 18th in steals (11.8) - 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 143 games. In 66 of those contests, the Colonials have forced 20 or more turnovers from their opponent - a number that includes eight such instances this season.
Bench Brigade
RMU's bench came to play in its 86-56 win at Central Connecticut on Thursday, scoring a season-high 30 points. This is the ninth straight game that the Colonials' reserves have tallied double-digit points, and the 11th time overall this season.
Charlie Buscaglia has always had a strong bench since taking over as head coach prior to 2016-17. RMU is averaging 20.3 points per game from its bench this season, after getting 23.5 in 2018-19 and 20.0 in 2017-18.
The Colonials are now 13-1 since 2016-17 when they receive 30 or more points from their bench.
Prep for 2020
RMU's non-conference slate was one of its strongest in recent memory, with the 11 teams combining for a 73-59 (.553) record prior to this weekend's games. Those opponents included teams from the Atlantic 10, BIG EAST, Big 12, CAA, Horizon League, Ivy League, and the MAC, among others.
Seven of the Colonials' non-conference foes currently boast winning records. TCU and James Madison both sit at 9-2 overall, while Youngstown State is at 9-5. Columbia (8-4), Kent State (7-4), Pitt-Johnstown (7-4), and Rhode Island (7-5) are all above .500, while La Salle (6-7) and Norfolk State (6-7) are hovering around the mark.
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 6-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 626-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
