Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to 10 games with its fifth 30-point victory this season, a 69-39 rout of Bryant this evening in Northeast Conference (NEC) action from Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center.
Robert Morris (15-6, 10-0 NEC) has now won seven straight contests by double figures, a first for the program. The Colonials made Bryant (5-15, 3-6 NEC) their fifth opponent this season to shoot below 30 percent, coming in at a 25.6 mark – highlighted by a 7.7-percent rate from beyond the arc. The hosts also forced 24 turnovers, marking the 13th time that has been accomplished in 2019-20.
"You're not going to go up 14-4 early in the game and get Bryant to stop playing," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "They're going to continue to go hard and attack the basket. I had a lot to say at halftime about the shot chart and how often they were touching our paint. We tightened up some screws defensively in the second half and gained some one-and-done stops, and then found our flow offensively."
Four players reached double-digit scoring for RMU, led by a second consecutive double-double by Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu. Ozzy-Momodu flipped her point and rebound numbers from the previous game, tallying 14 on the scoresheet on 6-of-6 shooting and 10 caroms off the glass. Dahomée Forgues provided 13 points on 5-of-11 from the field, while Honoka Ikematsu and Esther Castedo chipped in with 10 apiece.
Ikematsu got the ball rolling early, pouring in seven points to push the Colonials ahead 14-4. The Bulldogs answered with a long 22-10 stretch carrying into the second quarter to pull within two, but RMU answered with a 12-2 surge thanks in part to a 9-0 personal rally by Forgues.
The gap continued to grow after the halftime break, reaching 21 at the first media with treys from Ikematsu and Isabella Posset, and two Nneka Ezeigbo layups. Ozzy-Momodu scored seven of her 14 over the final three minutes of the third quarter to extend the difference to 59-32, and brought the lead to its peak at 68-35 with 3:59 to play.
Sydney Holloway led Bryant with 17 points (3-7 FG, 10-12 FT) off the bench.
The Colonials' 10-game run is the fifth of its kind in school history, joining the 2007-08 (17), 2009-10 (13), 2014-15 (11), and 2018-19 (11) teams.
RMU's fifth 30-point win matches a program record established by the 2006-07 team.
Ezeigbo collected a pair of blocks, pulling her into a tie with Maebeth Schalles (1989-93) and Kim Mong (1981-85) for fifth all-time with 102 in their careers.
Robert Morris can tie a school record for best NEC start on Saturday, Feb. 8 at noon when it travels to Sacred Heart. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN3, and can be seen on tape delay at 4:00 p.m. on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Follow the Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
