Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team pushed its winning streak to three this evening, as it held Youngstown State to 20.7 percent shooting in the second half to capture a 61-46 victory in Horizon League play from the UPMC Events Center. RMU moves to 3-8 overall and in the league with the win, while the loss knocks YSU down to 5-4.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Colonials led or shared the lead for all but 26 seconds of the contest, but the Penguins pulled within three with 9:18 to go on a Maddie Schires three-pointer. RMU answered quickly on the other end with a Sydney Palermo layup, which sparked a 10-1 run before the final media timeout. Laura Carrasco buried a trey to make it 51-43 with 7:57 remaining, then after Mary Dunn split a pair of free throws, Dahomée Forgues sank a three-pointer to push the gap to double digits. The Colonials' defense held YSU without a field goal for nearly nine minutes as they added to their lead, with Dunn's foul shot being the only visitor points from 9:18 to 0:28.
QUOTABLE
"It was a hard fought win tonight," said RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "Both teams really worked hard. Youngstown State is a well-coached team, and we needed to push through on several occasions to earn this victory. Our effort set the tone early on, and we were hustling for loose balls and tracking down rebounds. We had 15 offensive rebounds today – which is a season high for us – and outrebounded them overall tonight. We definitely need to tighten some screws for tomorrow and to be ready for another hard fought game."
BENCH BRIGADE
After a weekend where RMU saw its bench outscored by Wright State's reserves by a combined 30 points, the hosts owned a 26-4 advantage in point production this evening. The Colonials got a game-high 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from Forgues, and the sophomore added five rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 16 minutes. Redshirt sophomore Sydney Palermo added six points, three rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in the post.
QUOTABLE
"You need to have a rotation that serves whether they're starting or coming off the bench," said Buscaglia. "For us, starting or coming off the bench isn't a big focus or important. Everyone that comes into the game has to be willing to do what the team needs. When you come off the bench like Sydney (Palermo) did today and finish around the basket really well, and rip down some 50-50 rebounds – that's what we need from her and for anyone who comes off the bench. We need that aggressive mentality on the floor, so there's no drop-off from an effort standpoint."
THE DEFENSE (NEVER) RESTS
RMU's defense shined once again, holding YSU to 32.1 percent (18-56) shooting and a 3-of-20 mark from behind the arc. The Colonials forced 14 turnovers from the Penguins, extending a streak of 172 games of forcing double-digit mistakes. RMU's 46 points allowed are the second lowest this season, and mark the second consecutive Friday contest it has held its opponent to under 50 points.
YOU GOTTA HAVE SOL
Freshman forward Sol Castro continued her strong stretch of games, posting her second double-double over the last three contests. Castro finished with 10 points (5-11 FG) and a career-high 15 rebounds, adding four assists and a steal. The Rio Colorado, Argentina native paces the Colonials in scoring (9.3) and rebounding (5.2) through 11 games, and has reached double-digit points in five contests.
THE OPPONENT
Youngstown State was led by freshman Nneka Obiazor, who finished with a team-best 16 points and eight rebounds. The Penguins also received 10 points and seven caroms from Mary Dunn, but their post duo combined to provide 26 of the team's 46 points this evening.
UP NEXT
RMU and YSU finish up a two-game set on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 5:00 p.m. from the UPMC Events Center. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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