Women's Basketball | 3/8/2020 4:37:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – The drive for nine Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament championships begins Monday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. when the top-seeded
Robert Morris University women's basketball team welcomes eighth-seeded Wagner to Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. RMU, who became the first team since Saint Francis U from 2000-01 to 2004-05 to win at least a share of four straight NEC regular-season crowns, is the No. 1 seed in the league tournament for the fifth time in program history (2010, 2014, 2017, 2019).
GAME #30
#8 Wagner Seahawks (10-19, 6-2 NEC) @ #1 Robert Morris Colonials (22-7, 17-1 NEC)
2020 Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
Monday, March 9, 2020 // 7:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center (4,000)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Radio: ESPN 970 PGH // Live Stats: RMUColonials.com
On-Air Talent: Adam Gusky (play-by-play), Justin Pyles (color commentary)
Notes Package: Wagner // Robert Morris
Tickets: Ticketmaster
History w/ Wagner
Overall: 37-31 | Home: 18-14 | Away: 16-16 | Neutral: 3-1 | Streak: W10
Last Game: Feb. 10, 2020 – Staten Island, N.Y. – Robert Morris 77, Wagner 35
Robert Morris is on a 10-game winning streak against Wagner, taking over the lead in the all-time series, 37-31. The Colonials own a 18-14 advantage against the Seahawks in home games, but two of the last three in Moon Township have been decided by four points or less.
RMU broke the program record for best NEC start in its last meeting with Wagner, a 77-35 blowout on Feb. 10. The largest margin of victory this season for the Colonials was also the third biggest on the road, thanks in part to a career night by
Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu. Ozzy-Momodu recorded a career-high 23 points (9-11 FG, 5-7 FT) and added 15 rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes, while
Isabella Posset (14 pts) and
Honoka Ikematsu (10 pts) joined her in double figures scoring.
The teams' first outing this season was a nail biter, as RMU held off a pesky Seahawk comeback to win 51-47. Ozzy-Momodu provided a team-high 13 points (4-6 FG, 5-7 FT), eight rebounds, and two blocks off the bench, while Posset nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine caroms.
Scouting the Seahawks
Wagner is in its second consecutive NEC Tournament under fourth-year head coach Heather Jacobs, finishing the regular season with a 10-19 overall record and 6-12 mark in league play.
Sophomore forward Emilija Krista Grava is one of the league's top players, averaging 16.0 points on 47.1 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds. Those are all team highs along with her 21 rejections, and she is joined by junior forward Khaleah Edwards in double figures (10.8 PPG). Edwards paces the Seahawks in three-pointers (48) and is one of four players with at least 33 trifectas, alongside Alex Cowan (33), Jordan Hobson (36), and Janelle Mullen (35).
Wagner ranks third in the NEC in free throw percentage (.732), assists (13.86), and turnover margin (+0.62). The Seahawks are near the bottom of the league in rebounding margin (-4.31, 9th), field goal percentage defense (.426, 10th), and blocks (1.79, 10th).
A Rivalry Rout
The Robert Morris/Saint Francis U rivalry has been pretty even as of late, but the Colonials nabbed their fifth consecutive win over the Red Flash in impressive fashion on March 5 with a 62-29 triumph. The 33-point margin of victory is RMU's largest in the series since Jan. 11, 2006, when it won 79-45 to start a seven-game winning streak in the rivalry.
The Colonials allowed 29 points in the win, the fewest they have given up since Feb. 28, 1980 - a 85-24 win over Chatham. In fact, the 29 points is tied for the third fewest by a RMU opponent since 1977-78 - that being the first season it started playing at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) level.
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. This year's bunch tied its program record for best NEC record at 17-1, which previously was accomplished in 2009-10.
This could be the strongest RMU team when it comes to playing against its NEC foes. The Colonials are limiting their league opponents to 46.9 points per game offensively, as well as percentages of .319 on field goals and .230 on three-pointers. RMU is outscoring teams by 19.6 points in conference contests, has won 13 by double-digits including a streak of nine straight from Jan. 13 to Feb. 15, and owns significant advantages in rebounding (+9.8) 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 fifth nationally in scoring defense (52.3), ninth in three-point field goal defense (.262), 12th in field goal percentage defense (.346), 14th in turnovers forced (21.14) and steals (10.8), 16th in turnover margin (+5.86), 30th in scoring margin (+12.7), 83rd in rebounding margin (+3.8), 85th in rebounds per game (39.52).
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 160 games. In 76 of those contests, the Colonials have forced 20 or more turnovers from their opponent - a number that includes 18 such instances this season.
NEC Tournament History
This is Robert Morris' 25th NEC Tournament and the seventh consecutive year it has qualified. The Colonials are 36-16 overall in the league playoffs, a mark that includes a 10-1 record as the No. 1 seed.
RMU has advanced to the semifinals in nine straight appearances, and own a 14-5 mark in the quarterfinal round. The Colonials are 4-1 all-time against the No. 8 seed, with the lone blemish coming when they were the No. 9 seed in the 1994 NEC Play-In Game.
If RMU defends its NEC Tournament crown, it would mark the third time in program history it has won back-to-back championships. The Colonials previously accomplished the feat in 2007-08 and 2016-17.
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 111-50 (.689) 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).
Bench Brigade
The Colonial bench has produced all season long, averaging 24.5 points per game and 11.1 more than their opponents' reserves. The unit has tallied double-digit points in 26 consecutive games and 28 contests overall, while hitting the 20-point mark in 16 of the last 18.
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 six times this season, highlighted by hitting a season-high 39 points on Feb. 1 against Central Connecticut. Since 2016-17, RMU is 19-1 when it receives 30 or more points from its reserves.
30 Rock
Robert Morris extended its single-season program record for 30-point victories on March 5, collecting its seventh with a 62-29 triumph over Saint Francis U. The Colonials previously broke the record on Feb. 10 - a 77-35 win at Wagner - and have also defeated Bryant (69-39), Central Connecticut (86-56, 80-42), Pitt-Johnstown (63-30), and Sacred Heart (73-43) by 30 or more points.
RMU was tied with the 2006-07 side with five 30-point triumphs, and now has 61 wins of 30 points or more in its all-time history. The 42-point rout of the Seahawks on Feb. 10 is the 13th largest margin of victory in program annals, and the third biggest road triumph.
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 22-0 in such situations this season, and went 22-0 last season. All-time, RMU is 642-0 when holding the lead at the final whistle.
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