Fairfield, Conn. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball matched last year's program record for best Northeast Conference (NEC) start with its eighth consecutive double-digit victory, a 67-38 triumph at Sacred Heart this afternoon from the William H. Pitt Center.
Robert Morris (16-6, 11-0 NEC) avenged its last NEC loss on March 4, 2019 at Sacred Heart (8-14, 5-6 NEC) and has now started 11-0 in the NEC in back-to-back seasons. The Colonials put forth another dominant defensive performance against the Pioneers, holding the hosts to 25.5 percent (13-51) shooting and a 21.7 percent (5-23) mark from deep.
"We did a nice job to set the tone early by creating quality looks," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "Our pace needed to be better on both ends of the floor, however. We tightened up some screws in the second half defensively and found a much better pace from the perimeter. I give Sacred Heart a great deal of credit with how hard they played and how tough they are as a group – they definitely had their part in the possessions we lost."
The dynamic duo of Nneka Ezeigbo and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu were unstoppable inside, with each posting double-doubles. Ezeigbo led all players with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds, while Ozzy-Momodu added 13 points and 10 caroms off the bench. Their combined 21 boards helped give RMU a 52-34 advantage on the glass, marking the second time this season it has pulled down more than 50 caroms (Jan. 13, 2020 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn).
The Colonials opened the game with a 9-0 start behind trifectas from Isabella Posset and Honoka Ikematsu. That gap reached 20-8 with an Ozzy-Momodu free throw, but the Pioneers came back with a 14-6 rally to pull within four midway through the second quarter.
RMU scored the final five points of the half, with Holly Forbes' layup at the end of the frame coming off five offensive rebounds. Ezeigbo tallied five points to open the third stanza to make it 36-23, then Esther Castedo checked in and provided a trey and mid-range jumper to extend the gap to 18 points.
Megan Callahan capped an 11-2 run to close the quarter with a buzzer-beating three from the wing, giving the Colonials a 52-27 advantage. The difference never dipped below 22 points from there, with Laura Carrasco's back-to-back buckets setting the final at 67-38 – coming one point shy of RMU's third straight 30-point win.
This is the first time since Jan. 28, 2019 that the Colonials have gotten a pair of double-doubles, with Ezeigbo and Ozzy-Momodu accomplishing it against SHU last season. In road contests, Jan. 27, 2014 marked the last time RMU had received two double-doubles, as Artemis Spanou and Jolie Olingende did it in a 67-58 win at Fairleigh Dickinson.
"It's always a focus to win the battle in the paint on both ends of the floor," added Buscaglia of his centers' performances. "When the ball doesn't go in from the outside, being strong around the basket helps us continue to battle. (Nneka Ezeigbo and Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu) had a strong consistency today for us, and that is something we are proud of in their development."
Nina Augustin became the 15th player in program history to make 100 career three-pointers with a trifecta in the third quarter.
With the win, the Colonials qualified for their 25th NEC Tournament in program history.
Today's game can be seen tape-delayed on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh tomorrow at 6:00 PM. It was broadcast live on ESPN3.
Robert Morris will look to establish a new program record for best NEC start on Monday, Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m. when it travels to Wagner.
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