Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris women's basketball team edges out George Mason in the final seconds at the UPMC Events Center, beating the Patriots 53-52. RMU now owns a 2-0 record in the 2022-23 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In game two of the season, the Colonials went with the same starting five as game one:
Mackenzie Amalia,
Alejandra Mastral,
Rebecca Dwomoh,
Simone Morris and
Phoenix Gedeon. In the opening minutes, the Colonials got off to a hot start with a quick three-point basket by Morris. Down the other end, the Patriots turned the ball over out of bounds and Mastral followed up the next drive with a jump shot. After going up 6-2 in the first three minutes of play, RMU allowed 17 more points and went into the second quarter being down 9-19 and would not own a lead until the final ten seconds of the game.
Early into the second quarter,
Paris Kirk off the bench was fouled and made both of her free throws making the score 13-19. Mastral was the next scorer, swishing a shot from behind the arc. The other Spaniard, Candela Rabadan Solis, followed next with a trey herself. The Colonials were back within two (20-22), and the game went to a media timeout. At the end of 20 minutes, RMU headed to the locker room down 20-24.
"At halftime, I was feeling a bit down" said sophomore
Phoenix Gedeon. "My team was there for me and told me to step it up. It made me want to push for the win even more."
Determined to make a comeback, the Colonials guards started to feed Gedeon in the paint and get to the basket more often to draw fouls and consistently score. Gedeon did just that as she scored 11 out of the next 13 points for RMU. She got to the free throw line on three separate occasions and drew another personal foul. "We need to go up strong and attack the basket harder" said head coach
Charlie Buscaglia. "Getting to the line wins and loses games. You can't go away from contact or else you're letting the defense off the hook." During the third quarter, the game was tied at three different points. Heading into the fourth quarter, RMU stayed within two, 36-38.
The Patriots extended their lead to 39-45 in period four with six minutes remaining. Making a jump shot from the corner was Gedeon off a vital assist by Amalia to reach within four. Next offensive zone time, Kirk made one free throw, and then after the media timeout, Gedeon scored two more free throws and the score was at 44-45. Kaysia, Smith and Suarez all scored jump shots within 90 seconds to move the Patriots back to a five-point advantage, 46-51. With 35 seconds remaining, the Colonials began their clutch finish. Fueled by Mastral on the defensive end, she poked the ball loose and passed the ball forward to Amalia for the counter attack layup. Mastral once again on defense blocked a layup by Suarez and rebounded her own block. She dribbled down the right side and found Amalia wide open, hitting one for three. With 15 seconds remaining the score was tied 51-51. George Mason called a full timeout. The Patriots turned it over as Mastral intercepted the inbound pass. This time she took it herself, driving to hoop to make a layup and give RMU the lead 53-51. "Going back to when I was an assistant for my father, defense has always been a staple" said head coach
Charlie Buscaglia. In the final six seconds, Suarez went to the line off a shooting foul, but would only make the first free throw. After missing the last free throw,
Danielle Vuletich earned the defensive rebound and the Colonials celebrated, winning 53-52. "One of our pillars is passion," stated Buscaglia. "And that was a passionate performance down the stretch."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Leading the team in points was sophomore
Phoenix Gedeon with 20. She almost produced a double-double as she grabbed nine boards, along with drawing eight fouls and being a +15 player on the night. Second on the team in points was Mastral posting 11, adding three key steals and two blocks. The California native Morris collected seven points and seven rebounds on the night. The team's offensive production improved by each quarter scoring nine, 11, 16 and then 17 points in ascending order. RMU outscored the Patriots in all of the last three quarters and only gave up five points in the second. The Colonials only held a lead for two minutes and twelve seconds, but regained control when it mattered most.
QUOTABLE'S
"The story of today's game was that we worked hard. We definitely got some screws to tighten, but our defense was there for us throughout the game. We caused quicker shots and turnovers. We faced a very quick and athletic team. Our heart and determination and our willingness to continue to stay positive even when things looked rough helped us, but we kept continuing to grind."
On
Phoenix Gedeon: "She wants to get better. She wants to be someone the team can count on. We needed someone to step up in the second half and she responded well, doing a great job for us."
– Head Coach Charlie Buscaglia
"There were some ups and downs and a few possessions we didn't score, but our team is very focused on our defense and that's how we won today."
On the team's chemistry: "In different games, sometimes it'll be my game, and sometimes it'll be someone else's game but we always play together and we're always there for each other. There's no selfishness on our team."
– Phoenix Gedeon
NEXT UP
The Colonials continue their four-game home stand versus all non-conference opponents. Next in line is Waynesburg (11/12) and Wheeling (11/14). RMU will then be on a nine-day break before heading out on the road.
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