GAME 14
RMU (6-7) vs. IUPUI (8-5)
Friday, January 14, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center • Moon Township, Pa.
TV: ESPN+

Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp) and Justin Pyles (color)
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: RMUWBasketball

GAME 15
RMU (6-7) vs. UIC (2-9)
Sunday, January 16, 2022 • 1:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center • Moon Township, Pa.
TV: ESPN+

Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp) and Justin Pyles (color)
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: RMUWBasketball

Opening Tip

- Robert Morris kicks off a three-game home stand with a double dip this weekend against IUPUI Friday night and UIC Sunday afternoon at the UPMC Events Center.

- The Colonials face off against IUPUI for the first time this season and just the third time in program history. The Colonials squared off with the Jags twice last season, dropping back-to-back games on January 1 and 2 of 2021. The Colonials will not make their first trip to IUPUI until their regular season finale on February 26.

- The Colonials will again play another first-time opponent Sunday when the UIC Flames make their first ever trip to Moon Township.  Robert Morris, on the other hand, will have to wait until the final weekend of the regular season to make their Windy City debut on February 24.

- RMU is 2-1 this season against first-time opponents with wins against Canisius and Detroit-Mercy and a loss to Green Bay.

- Despite the loss, a number of Colonials enjoyed career performances in RMU's back-and-forth show down at YSU last weekend, none more so than junior center Ashya Klopfenstein.  The Howe, Indiana native grabbed a career-high ten rebounds to lead all players on both teams while pouring in 12 points for her first ever double-double with the Colonials.

- Simone Morris also enjoyed a benchmark performance, breaking double-digits for the first time with 11 points, while Sol Castro (11 points) finished two boards shy of a double-double herself. It marked the third time this season RMU has seen three players reach double digit points.

- Freshman Janeira Scott became the final member of the RMU freshman class to make her season debut earlier this season against Morehead State. Simone Morris currently leads all RMU rookies in scoring, averaging 5.1 points per game.

- RMU returns three starters and five letter winners from 2020-21.

- Returning as starters for the Colonials are fifth-year guard Nina Augustin, senior guard Esther Castedo and sophomore forward Sol Castro. The trio combined for 438 points and 177 rebounds during the abbreviated 2020-21 season.

- In a vote of Horizon League head coaches, RMU was picked to finish ninth in the league in 2021-22. Sophomore forward Sol Castro earned a spot on the 2021 Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team.

- Castro finished with 11 points against the Penguins, the sixth time this year the sophomore has scored in double figures, tied for most of the team with Esther Castedo.

- Through 12 games, Castedo leads RMU in scoring average (10.8) and is second in assists (29), while Castro sits right behind her at 9.3 PPG. Castro paced the Colonials in both categories during her rookie year in 2021, averaging  9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest, both of which led RMU. For her efforts she was named to the 2021 Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

- Fifth-year guard Nina Augustin is RMU's active leader in points with 752 and moved into 12th-place on the RMU All-Time career assists leader board with four earlier this season in RMU's 2021-22 opener.  She needs one more to crack the top-ten all-time, and has a shot to become the eighth player in school history to eclipse 300.

- Senior guard Esther Castedo is averaging 10.8 points per-game and leads the team in defensive rebounds with 38. She averaged 9.2 points per game during the 2020-21 campaign while also pulling down an average of 3.2 rebounds per contest. She has appeared in 86 career games, including 28 starts, 13 of which came last season.

- Junior center Ashya Klopfenstein currently leads all Colonials in rebounding average at 5.2 per-game. She spent the 2020-21 season at Dawson Community College where she averaged 16.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the floor.

- The RMU freshman class features student-athletes from four different countries. Guard Rebecca Dwomoh is from London, England, while forward Phoenix Gedeon hails from Montreal, Quebec. Guard Alejandra Mastral is a native of Zaragoza, Spain, while the four rookies that are from the United States are from four different states, including California, Delaware, Ohio and Tennessee.

- The Colonials close out the home stand next Thursday, January 20 when they host Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m.

GAMEDAY LINKS

- Live Stats

- RMU Athletics Gameday App

The All-Time Series (IUPUI) – The Colonials are still searching for their first ever win as a program against the Panthers following a home sweep last season on January 1 and 2.  Despite a 5-3 HL record, two of IUPUI's conference losses have come by way of forfeit, with the Jags riding a three-game win streak after victories against Wright State, Green Bay, and Milwaukee.  Preseason picks to win the league, IUPUI boasts the three-time reigning Horizon League Player of the Year in forward Macee Williams and has shown their mettle against some big time opponents this year, narrowly dropping a 67-62 OT loss at #11 Michigan and also upsetting #15 Iowa 74-73.

The All-Time Series (UIC) – RMU faces UIC for the first time in program history Sunday in a season that has presented its fair share of challenges for the Flames.  At just 2-9 on the season and 1-5 in conference play, UIC is riding a four-game winless streak, and due to a combo of losses and cancellations has not won a game since a 68-64 win against Detroit Mercy back on December 4.  They are scheduled to take on Youngstown State the Friday before rolling into Moon Township.

Super Stoppers – Through 12 games, the Colonials have shown themselves to be one of the stingiest defensive teams in the Horizon League, holding opponents to an average of just 58.1 points per game, the third-lowest mark in the league behind Green Bay (56.6) and Youngstown State (55.3). The Colonials also boast the fourth-best opponent field-goal percentage (.390) and third-best three-point field-goal percentage defense (.267).

Helper Helper – Fifth-year guard Nina Augustin gives the Colonials a solid distributor heading into her final year with the program. Heading into Saturday, Augustin has dished out 277 career assists in 123 games, an average of 2.3 per contest. She ranks 11th all-time in program history, and to crack the top 10 in her final season with the Colonials needs one more.  She is also looking to become the eighth player in school history to eclipse 300.

Free Is Me – In addition to her distribution skills, fifth-year guard Nina Augustin is nearly automatic when getting to the free-throw line. During her career, Augustin has converted 81.9 percent (150-for-182) of her attempts at the charity stripe, which ranks fourth in program history. The career school record is held by former guard Rebecca Navarro, who shot 84.8 percent (95-for-112) at the line from 2013 to 2017. Augustin, meanwhile, owns the RMU single-season record for free-throw percentage when she converted 89.4 percent (59-for-66) of her attempts during the 2019-20 campaign.

De La Sol – Despite a season both shortened and impacted by a global pandemic, forward Sol Castro shined in her first season with the Colonials in 2020-21, becoming the first freshman to lead RMU in scoring in almost 20 years. Castro averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, both team highs, and also recorded three double-doubles. One of three Colonials to start all 17 games last season, Castro reached double figures in scoring nine times, including a career-high 23 points in a 50-43 victory over Wright State (1/16/21) at the UPMC Events Center. In that same contest against the Raiders, Castro grabbed 11 boards, marking her first career double-double.

Making The Grade – RMU posted a 3.824 term grade point average (GPA) during the 2020-21 academic year and finished with the No. 3 ranking in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Division I Team Honor Roll. It marked the third consecutive year the Colonials finished third as well as the fifth straight year RMU finished in the top four. The Colonials are the only NCAA Division I school to rank in the top four in five consecutive years. Of RMU's three returning starters, guard Nina Augustin owns a 3.95 cumulative GPA as a finance major, guard Esther Castedo studies management and has maintained a 3.83 cumulative GPA and in her first academic year forward Sol Castro posted a 3.83 GPA while owning sport management as a major.

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