Women's Basketball | 3/4/2020 3:30:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – After claiming its fourth consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship on Monday at Mount St. Mary's, the
Robert Morris University women's basketball team finishes up the slate on Thursday, March 5 against Keystone State rival Saint Francis U. RMU became the first team since SFU in 2000-01 to 2004-05 to capture at least a share of four straight regular-season crowns, and earned the No. 1 seed in next week's NEC Tournament for the fifth time in program history (2010, 2014, 2017, 2019).
GAME #29
Saint Francis U Red Flash (11-17, 9-8 NEC) @ Robert Morris Colonials (21-7, 16-1 NEC)
Thursday, March 5, 2020 // 7:05 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center (4,000)
Live Video: ESPN+ ($) // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
On-Air Talent: Paul Dottino (play-by-play), Pam Roecker (color commentary)
Notes Package: Saint Francis U // Robert Morris
Tickets: Ticketmaster
History w/ Saint Francis U
Overall: 47-41 | Home: 27-14 | Away: 19-26 | Neutral: 1-2 | Streak: W4
Last Game: Feb. 17, 2020 – Loretto, Pa. – Robert Morris 66, Saint Francis U 57
Robert Morris is 47-41 all-time against its in-state rivals, and is riding a four-game winning streak in the series for the first time since a seven-game run from Jan. 11, 2006 to Jan. 3, 2009. Saint Francis U previously won two straight in Loretto during the 2017-18 season, including the 2018 NEC Championship Game.
Last year's title tilt was a rematch of that aforementioned 2018 bout, and the Colonials got revenge on the Red Flash with a 65-54 victory. RMU took the lead with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter and never trailed again, completing its first three-game season sweep of SFU since 2011-12.
Nina Augustin led the hosts with 14 points on 3-of-3 from deep, and
Isabella Posset added 12 points - 10 coming in the first quarter.
Nneka Ezeigbo, who won NEC Tournament MVP, posted an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Two weeks ago in Loretto, RMU fell a point shy of its 11th consecutive double-digit victory, winning 66-57 over the Red Flash. The Colonials forced 22 turnovers and committed just five offensively, offsetting a 40.0 to 34.9 percent difference from the field. Ezeigbo finished with a game-high 16 points - all coming in the second half - and Posset added 13 points and three steals.
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu registered an 11-point, 10-carom double-double.
Scouting the Red Flash
Saint Francis U, under the guidance of first-year head coach Keila Washington, has dropped four straight and is 11-17 overall and 9-8 in the NEC. The Red Flash have locked itself into a home game for the NEC Tournament quarterfinals, but could fall to the No. 4 seed with a loss and Fairleigh Dickinson win over Mount St. Mary's.
Juniors Karson Swogger and Haley Thomas are averaging double figures in scoring for SFU, coming in at 11.8 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Thomas also leads the Red Flash in rebounding (6.3) and free throw percentage (.887), while Swogger tops her teammates in three-pointers made (49) and steals (24). SFU is a deep team, with nine players between 13.5 and 32.6 minutes per game.
The Red Flash are one of the most efficient teams from the field, ranking second in the NEC in field goal percentage (.401). They also slot second in free throw percentage (.735) and third in rebounding margin (+2.18), but sit in the bottom three in scoring offense (56.71, 9th), assists (11.79, 9th), scoring margin (-9.50, 10th), steals (4.32, 11th), and turnover margin (-7.82, 11th).
Oops, We Did It Again
For the fourth consecutive season, Robert Morris is the NEC regular-season champion, clinching the crown with a 57-52 victory at Mount St. Mary's on March 2. The Colonials are the first team since Saint Francis U from 2001-02 to 2004-05 to win a share of four straight titles and just the third team overall to run off such a streak, with the Mountaineers winning seven consecutive from 1989-90 to 1995-96.
RMU won the crown thanks to a 14-0 start in league play, in which they joined 2004 Saint Francis U, 2009 Sacred Heart, and 2013 Quinnipiac as the only sides to accomplish that. With that run, the Colonials topped their previous program record for best conference start, a standard they shattered in back-to-back seasons with an 11-0 start in 2018-19, and a 9-0 open in 2017-18. Those two teams finished with a 16-2 mark in the NEC, something that this year's side can top with a victory on Thursday.
This could be the strongest RMU team when it comes to playing against its NEC foes. The Colonials are limiting their league opponents to 47.9 points per game offensively, as well as percentages of .326 on field goals and .237 on three-pointers. RMU is outscoring teams by 18.8 points in conference contests, has won 12 by double-digits including a streak of nine straight from Jan. 13 to Feb. 15, and owns significant advantages in rebounding (+9.3) and forcing turnovers (+4.8).
The Defense (Never) Rests
Robert Morris prides itself on its defense and this season is no different. The Colonials enters this meeting ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense (53.1), 13th in turnovers forced (21.18), 15th in turnover margin (+5.89), 16th in three-point field goal defense (.268) and steals (10.8), 19th in field goal percentage defense (.352), 32nd in scoring margin (+11.9), and 95th in rebounding margin (+3.3).
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.
RMU is in the midst of an impressive streak, causing double-digit turnovers in each of its last 159 games. In 75 of those contests, the Colonials have forced 20 or more turnovers from their opponent - a number that includes 17 such instances this season.
20/13 Vision
Robert Morris picked up its 20th win of the season on Feb. 23 at Fairleigh Dickinson, reaching that milestone for 13th time in program history. The Colonials have now won 20 or more games in five straight campaigns, accumulating a record of 110-50 (.688) over that span.
RMU previously rattled off four straight 20-win seasons from 2004-05 to 2007-08, and has now won 20 or more contests in six of the last seven years. The current seven-year run has also included six consecutive NEC Championship Game appearances, where the Colonials have won four of (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019).
Share the Wealth
Senior center
Nneka Ezeigbo won her fourth NEC Player of the Week award of the season on Wednesday, as she was bestowed the honor after recording 24 points, 11 rebounds, and a block in a 57-52 victory at Mount St. Mary's on Monday.
Ezeigbo's fourth plaudit of 2019-20 is also the sixth of her career. She is one of three Colonials to win Player of the Week, alongside sophomore guard
Isabella Posset (Jan. 22) and
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu (Feb. 12). No other school has had multiple players earn the recognition this season, and this is the first time in program history three different Colonials have been named Player of the Week in a campaign.
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 21-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 641-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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