Moon Township, Pa. – Playing their first home game in over three weeks, the Robert Morris women's basketball team captured a 63-39 victory over St. Bonaventure in non-conference action on Friday night at the UPMC Events Center.

With the win, the Colonials improve to 7-4 overall this season and remain unbeaten at home. RMU concludes their non-conference schedule as they finish 6-3 during that span. Meanwhile, the Bonnies fall to 3-9 overall during the 2022-23 campaign.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
From the opening tip, it was all RMU as the Colonials started the contest by scoring the opening 15 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Rebecca Dwomoh led the charge with five points. St. Bonaventure got on the board at the 5:29-mark before RMU scored four of the next six points to hold a 19-4 lead after one. The Bonnies opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run before the Colonials scored 10 straight points, led by sophomore forward Phoenix Gedeon. Sophomore center Danielle Vuletich and freshman guard Louella Allana paced led an 8-3 run for RMU as they held a 37-12 advantage at the break.

In the second half, Gedeon opened the third quarter by scoring six straight points and stretching the Colonial lead, 43-12. St. Bonaventure guard Maddie Dziezgowski led a 9-4 run for the Bonnies, connecting on 3-of-5 from downtown, trimming the RMU lead, 47-21. Both teams traded the next 10 points to end the quarter as the Colonials held a 52-26 advantage. The Bonnies opened the fourth by scoring six of the first nine points before scoring four the next seven later in the quarter.

DEFENSIVELY STOUT
Coming off a four-game road slate and playing two of the top powerhouses in the Big 12, the Robert Morris defense was disruptive all night for the Bonnies. The Colonials held St. Bonaventure to just 7.7 percent (1-for-13) from the floor in the first quarter before holding them to just 4-of-27 (14.8 percent) shooting in the first half. RMU forced 15 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and 26 for the contest. The Colonials held the Bonnies to 23.5 percent (12-for-51) from the floor, their lowest they've held a team this season.

QUOTABLE
"There's not many days no matter what the scenario is that we don't do something defensively that's making us better," RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia said. "You don't just come out and play defense because you play hard, you have to have intelligence as well. I made this analogy and said, it's like when you're running a long-distance run, you get to that point where you start getting tired, you start getting sweaty, and it gets hard. If you push through it, your body starts getting used to it and you just continue to do that well and how well you go is going to be how hard you practice and how well you work on your game. But today I felt we got to that point and pushed through it."

ROUND MOUND OF REBOUND
Friday's first home game in three weeks saw Gedeon register her third double-double of the season. She paced the Colonials by tallying 13 points and collected 10 rebounds, four of them coming on the offensive glass. Gedeon converted five of her nine shots from the field, while going 3-of-6 from the charity stripe and scoring 10 of her 13 points in the second half.

QUOTABLE
"The beginning of the game I wasn't making a lot of shots but I was giving good looks to my teammates," Gedeon said. "I think that's why we make such a good team because we all don't force shots. The change that the defense gave me in the second half is the fact that I was facilitating a lot to my teammates and they started guarding us in a different way. It opened the court a lot and I took advantage of that."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
RMU had three players in double-figures, led by Gedeons 13 points. Vuletich chipped in 12 points and grabbed six boards off the bench, while Dwomoh finished with 11 points (5-of-9), five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 31 minutes of action. Sophomore Alejandra Mastral recorded seven points, three boards, and three assists as classmate Simone Morris corralled seven caroms, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Junior guard Mackenzie Amalia paced the team with five assists, her third time this season recording five or more.

QUOTABLE
"With a long break coming up, we have to be able to execute when they go away," Buscaglia continued. "They have their strength and condition packets, they know the lifts and stretches and the things they're suppose to do to keep their bodies in shape. Get in the gym, put shots up, and stay fit. It's really a test again for us to handle this break the right way and do what we need to and then hopefully we'll be ready for that first game once we come back."

UP NEXT
The Colonials are off for the holiday break and return back to the UPMC Events Center on Thursday, December 29, when they host Purdue Fort Wayne for a Horizon League match, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

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