Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team dropped its penultimate game of the regular season to Purdue Fort Wayne, 71-67, this afternoon in Horizon League action from the Gates Sports Center. The Colonials fall to 3-12 overall and in the league, while the Mastodons move to 1-20 (1-18 HL) on the season.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Down eight, RMU used a pair of Mackenzie Amalia trifiectas to bookend the third and fourth quarters to pull the visitors within two at 52-50. Another Amalia bucket kept the two-point gap on the Colonials' next possession, but two Riley Ott jumpers made it 58-52 with 6:38 to play. Sol Castro cut the deficit to three with five points over a span of 1:16, and another Amalia jumper and Esther Castedo free throw made it a two-point game with 2:26 to play. That as close as the Colonials would get however, as Purdue Fort Wayne made 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
QUOTABLE
"Congratulations to Purdue Fort Wayne on their victory," said RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "They worked very hard and played very hungry. It took us too long to shake off our lack of timing due to the recent layoff, and Purdue Fort Wayne was ready to take it to us."
MACK ATTACK
Freshman guard Mackenzie Amalia had a career afternoon, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes off the bench. Amalia converted 4-of-7 attempts from three and both of her free throws, while adding four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. The 22-point performance surpassed her previous career best by 14 points, and is the second most points for a RMU player this season behind classmate Sol Castro's 23-point effort on Jan. 22, 2021 against Wright State.
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"Mackenzie (Amalia) did a great job of sparking our team and pick up a lot of the slack," added Buscaglia. "I was very proud of her performance today, especially as a freshman taking on this role we needed."
A NEW HIGH FOR HOLLY
Senior forward Holly Forbes also established a new RMU high in scoring, providing 14 points of 7-of-13 shooting. Forbes added five rebounds, two steals, and an assist in a team-high 32 minutes of action, with all five of her caroms coming on the offensive end. This is the fourth double-digit scoring performance for the Bonne Terre, Mo. product, and topped her previous standard of 12 points established at La Salle on Nov. 9, 2019.
HIGH HONORS
Junior forward Natalie Villaflor owned the top spot in rebounds with a career-high eight this afternoon. Third-year guard Esther Castedo and senior guard Laura Carrasco shared the RMU lead with three assists each, and redshirt sophomore Sydney Palermo collected a game-high three blocks. For Purdue Fort Wayne, Shayla Sellers scored 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 6-of-6 from the free throw stripe, while Riley Ott added 18 points.
NEXT UP
RMU finishes up the regular season tomorrow at noon with a rubber match against Purdue Fort Wayne on ESPN3.
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