Women's Basketball | 1/31/2020 10:27:00 AM
Moon Township, Pa. – After completing its third straight undefeated January, the
Robert Morris University women's basketball team attempts to carry that momentum into February with a pair of contests at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials begin the month on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 4:00 p.m. against Central Connecticut. RMU has a 2.5-game lead in the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings over Mount St. Mary's (5-2) and needs to win its next four games to establish a new record for best league start.
GAME #20
Central Connecticut Blue Devils (2-18, 1-8 NEC) @ Robert Morris (13-6, 8-0 NEC)
Saturday, February 1, 2020 // 4:00 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: Central Connecticut // Robert Morris
Tickets: Ticketmaster
History w/ Central Connecticut
Overall: 29-14 | Home: 20-3 | Away: 9-11 | Neutral: 0-0 | Streak: W10
Last Game: Jan. 2, 2020 – New Britain, Conn. – Robert Morris 86, Central Connecticut 56
Robert Morris has won the last 10 matchups with Central Connecticut, extending its gap in the all-time series to 29-14. The Colonials are 20-3 at home against the Blue Devils, with the last blemish coming on Jan. 26, 2002 - a span of 18 straight victories.
In this year's NEC opener, RMU handled CCSU on the road, 86-56. The Colonials set a season high in scoring and shot 50.0 percent (32-64) from the floor, while forcing 27 turnovers defensively.
Nneka Ezeigbo tallied a season-best 24 points (10-12 FG) and added six rebounds and six steals, while
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu provided 13 points, nine caroms, and three steals off the bench. This was the 55th time in program history that RMU had won a game by 30 or more points.
The Colonials overcame a slow start in the last home matchup on Feb. 11, 2019, making up a 16-11 first-quarter deficit to defeat the Blue Devils, 60-40. Ezeigbo finished with a game-high 15 points (7-11 FG) to go along with seven rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks, while
Honoka Ikematsu poured in 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Central Connecticut nearly swept this past weekend at home, knocking off Wagner, 66-63, for its first NEC win before falling in the closing seconds to Sacred Heart, 54-52. The Blue Devils, under the direction of 14th-year head coach Beryl Piper, are just 2-18 overall and 1-8 in league play, but six of their NEC losses have come by single digits.
Junior center Ashley Berube is having a stellar season, averaging 13.8 points (9th in NEC), 7.0 rebounds (8th in NEC), and 1.8 blocks (2nd in NEC) per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. She is joined by classmate Emma McCamus in double-digit scorers, as the guard is at 10.9 points per contest. Another third-year, Ashley Forker, is at 9.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, but after her there are no other players above a per-game average of 4.8 points.
CCSU is one of the better teams in the NEC in free throw percentage (.743, 2nd), blocked shots (3.85, 3rd), and three-point field goal defense (.309, 4th). On the other hand, the Blue Devils rank in the bottom three of the league in scoring defense (69.25, 9th), steals (6.25, 9th), assist-to-turnover ratio (0.69, 9th), scoring offense (57.45, 10th), turnover margin (-4.30, 10th), scoring margin (11th, -11.80), three-point field goal percentage (.276, 11th), and three-point field goals made (4.40, 11th).
In January, We Were Perfect (Again)
There has been discussion about January seeming longer than other months to people, but the Colonials would be completely fine with that being the case. RMU has gotten off to record starts in conference these last three seasons because of their first-month excellence, going 23-0 over the three Januaries.
The Colonials finished this January with an 8-0 mark and average margin of victory of 17.4 points per game. Six of those triumphs came by double-digits, with two featuring 30-point differences. RMU averaged 69.9 points, allowed 52.5 points, and shot 42.4 percent from the floor - numbers that are awfully similar to the previous perfect months, where they went 8-0 in 2019 (70.2 PPG, 50.8 PPG allowed, 42.7% FG%) and 7-0 in 2018 (65.0 PPG, 52.4 PPG allowed, 41.2% FG%).
In February, We Wear Pink
It has been a tradition for Robert Morris to don pink alternate jerseys during select February games to raise breast cancer awareness. It has also been a tradition for the Colonials to win those contests. Since the 2013-14 season, RMU has accumulated a 25-1 record when wearing pink jerseys.
Last season, RMU went 6-0 in pink with a 13.8-point average margin of victory. The Colonials finished 3-0 in 2017-18 and 4-0 in 2016-17, and have won a total of 20 games in the tint by double figures.
The Defense (Never) Rests
Robert Morris prides itself on its defense and this season is no different. The Colonials entered the weekend ranked 15th nationally in turnovers forced (21.42), 17th in steals (11.1), 19th in turnover margin (+5.79), 41st in scoring defense (57.5), 67th in field goal percentage defense (.371), and 90th in three-point field goal defense (.291) - 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 150 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.
Bench Brigade
The Colonial bench has produced all season long, averaging 23.2 points per game and 10.3 more than their opponents' reserves. The unit has tallied double-digit points in 16 consecutive games and 18 contests overall, while hitting the 20-point mark in eight 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 hitting a season-high 34 points against Merrimack and at St. Francis Brooklyn. Since 2016-17, RMU is 15-1 when it receives 30 or more points from its reserves.
New Season, New Home, Same Standard
Robert Morris opened its new 4,000-seat arena, Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center, this season and its stellar record against NEC foes hasn't changed with the fresh facility. Including the NEC Tournament, the Colonials have now won 36 consecutive home contests against league opponents, with the last loss coming on Jan. 16, 2017 (55-70 vs. Saint Francis U).
RMU won its debut at the new arena on Nov. 13, 2019, a 58-43 victory over Youngstown State. The triumph was the Colonials' first to open a new home venue since the program started at the John Jay Center, as they fell in their Charles L. Sewall Center (1985-2017) and North Athletic Complex (2017-19) debuts.
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 13-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 633-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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