Hackensack, N.J. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team rebounded from its first Northeast Conference (NEC) defeat with a strong defensive performance at Fairleigh Dickinson, earning a 48-35 victory this afternoon from Stratis Arena at the Rothman Center.
Robert Morris (20-7, 15-1 NEC) achieved its 13th 20-win season with the triumph, and the fifth straight it has met that mark. The Colonials held Fairleigh Dickinson (10-16, 7-8 NEC) to 35 points for the second consecutive meeting, matching its season low for points allowed to a NCAA Division I foe. The Knights converted just 26.5 percent (13-49) from the field and turned it over 20 times.
"Very resilient effort today as we stayed passionate on the defensive end even when the ball wasn't going in for us," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "FDU is a very hard working and well coached team. They came into this game playing great, and we knew we needed to earn everything. As much as we have some screws to tighten, there is a lot of positives to take away from this win."
A defensive slugfest saw a 21-21 scoreline at halftime. RMU took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring FDU, 19-5, over the next 10 minutes to earn its 15th NEC victory.
Dahomée Forgues and Nina Augustin – making her first start since Dec. 29 at James Madison – opened the frame with back-to-back treys to push the gap to six. After a putback from Aniya Bell, an 8-0 run by Natalie Villaflor and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu extended the advantage to double digits at 35-23. Villafor then answered a Maria Roters layup with a three-pointer, and Laura Carrasco buried a mid-range jumper to make it 40-25.
Lauren Francillon got the hosts as close as seven points in the fourth quarter, but some timely defensive stops and a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free throw stripe allowed the Colonials to close out the victory, despite not making a field goal in nine shot attempts over the final 10 minutes.
"It's always great to come out hitting your looks and finishing your takes to the basket," added Buscaglia. "But that wasn't how it started today for us. I'm always telling our team that you keep after it and just keep knocking on the door with faith that you will get it done and finish those looks. We put together a great run in the third (quarter) where we were earning live ball turnovers, and got out on the break and played fast. We closed the game out well with a strong work ethic on the defensive end."
Villaflor led RMU with nine points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3PT) in 26 minutes off the bench.
Robert Morris finishes up a two-game road swing on Monday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. when it faces Mount St. Mary's for the second time in 10 days. A victory over the Mountaineers will secure the Colonials' fourth consecutive NEC regular-season title and the top seed in the NEC Tournament.
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