GAME 1
RMU (0-0) @ Saint Francis (0-0)
Monday, November 6, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.
DeGol Arena (3,500) | Loretto, Pa.
 
TV: NEC Front Row
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
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Opening Tip
-The RMU women's basketball team be opens its 2023-24 campaign and 47^th season of NCAA Division I basketball Monday night with a 7:00 p.m. tip in Loretto, Pa., against Saint Francis at DeGol Arena.

- Led by eighth year head coach Charlie Buscaglia, the Colonials return three starters and six letter winners in 2023-24, including guards Alejandra Mastral, Simone Morris and Rebecca Dwomoh.

- RMU is coming off an 11-19 season a year ago while going 5-15 in the Horizon League and earning a spot in the conference tournament. The Colonials unfortunately were bounced from the Barbasol Horizon League Tournament, falling at #7 seed Milwaukee.

- Entering Monday's game at Saint Francis, since 2000-01 RMU has recorded a mark of 7-16 (.304) in season openers, including a mark of 3-5 (.375) under Charlie Buscaglia. Overall in seven seasons leading the Colonials, Buscaglia has posted a record of 119-77 (.607) and a mark of 82-40 (.672) in conference play.

- Junior center Danielle Vuletich averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 boards while shooting at a .460 clip in 30 games last season. Junior guard Simone Morris produced 7.7 points and 5.0 caroms per contest while junior guard Rebecca Dwomoh chipped in 7.1 points, 3.1 boards, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in 30 contests a season ago.

- Junior guard Alejandra Mastral finished 2022-23 with 6.5 points, 3.2 caroms, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while sophomore guard Louella Allana registered 3.7 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds off the bench.

- A total of eight newcomers join the Colonials in 2023-24, including a pair of transfers. Junior guard Stephanie Theodossakos is a transfer from the University of Tampa while junior guard/forward Naomi Barnwell spent the last two seasons at Monroe College.

- After taking on the Red Flash, the Colonials travel to St. Bonaventure before opening its home portion of the 2023-24 schedule when it hosts Akron on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the UPMC Events Center. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the RMU Ticket Office at (412) 397-4949.
 
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The All-Time Series (SFU) - The Colonials will be taking on the Red Flash for the first and only time this season. RMU owns a 49-41 (.544) record in the all-time series against SFU, including a 29-14 (.674) mark at home. The Colonials have won the last six meetings in the series, securing a 49-36 victory at the UPMC Events Center last November. Dwomoh paced the Colonials with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, including a pair of triples. She collected five assists and three steals while Mastral and Morris each posted four points in the win. Morris ended with five boards and two assists while Mastral posted three steals and a pair of assists. Vuletich chipped in eight points off the bench and corralled a team-high six caroms and two steals.

Scouting the Red Flash – Saint Francis is coming off a 7-22 overall season where it went 6-10 in the Northeast Conference and a spot in the league tournament. The Red Flash were selected seventh out of nine teams in the NEC Preseason Poll announced in October. There will be new faces for SFU as they look to replace the production of six of its top seven scorers and seven of its top eight rebounders from the 2022-23 season. Destini Ward finished last year third on the team with 7.1 points per game and added 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals per game. Kaitlyn Maxwell missed the 2022-23 season due to injury but finished 2021-22 third on the team with 8.4 points per game. Her.405 three-point percentage ranked eighth in a single-season in program history. Saint Francis heads into the 2023-24 season with a roster that features three juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen.

STUDENT-Athletes - The RMU women's basketball program was honored for its work in the classroom, earning the top spot in the 2022-23 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division I. The Colonials posted a team grade point average (GPA) of 3.807 during the 2022-23 academic year to earn the top honor for the first time in program history. RMU has finished in the top four in NCAA Division I for team GPA in each of the last seven seasons, culminating in the top mark in 2022-23. The unprecedented run began in 2016-17 when the Colonials finished second with a 3.726 team GPA. RMU finished fourth a year later (3.748) and also finished third in 2018-19 (3.767), 2019-20 (3.767) and 2020-21 (3.824). Last season the Colonials finished at No. 2 with a team GPA of 3.762.

Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Last season, the Colonials were defensively stout guarding the three-point line finishing third in the country at .250 percent (151-of-603). RMU held its opponent under .250 percent 15 times last season while finishing fifth in the Horizon League in scoring defense (61.2 ppg). The Colonials forced over 18 turnovers per game a season ago while collecting over eight steals per contest.

A New Home - The Colonials hit the transfer portal this offseason, welcoming two new transfers to the squad. Junior guards Naomi Barnwell and Stephanie Theodossakos will suit up in the blue and white for the first time in 2023-24. A native of France, Barnwell comes to Moon Township after playing two seasons at Monroe College. She appeared in 49 games while making 38 starts for the Mustangs. Barnwell averaged 10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in her two seasons in New York. She helped the Mustangs reach the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Tournament in back-to-back seasons while sitting third on the team in scoring.

Theodossakos joins the Colonials from the University of Tampa after playing two seasons for the Spartans. During her time in Tampa, Theodossakos helped the Spartans to a program-best 33 wins and secured the South Region Championship in 2022-23. The University of Tampa advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history before falling to defending national champion Glenville State.

Welcome To The Mo - RMU welcomes six new freshmen to its 2023-24 roster, including two international student-athletes. Tuana Coskun is a native of Rabun Gap, Georgia, where she played two seasons at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School. In 61 games, Coskun averaged 12.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. The Colonials added a pair of sisters to the squad from Biloxi, Mississippi in Madison O'Dell and Micah O'Dell. Madison O'Dell paced the Admirals with 19.0 points a game while collecting 2.0 boards and 2.0 assists per contest. Micah O'Dell averaged 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while being awarded Most Valuable Player of the Year.

A native of Saxonburg, Pa., Hattie McGraw comes to Moon Township as one of the best three-point shooters in Knoch High School history. She currently holds the record for most three-pointers in a career (164) as well as the most triples made in a single season (83). Coming from Santiago, Chile, Camila Bozan joins the blue and white for her freshman campaign. She averaged 8.0 points, 12.0 boards, and 2.0 blocks per game in helping Downey finish third in the Sunshine Independence League. Rounding out the 2023-24 Colonials is a native of Montreal, Quebec, in Eden Monka. At Dawson College, she appeared in all 15 games while making 13 starts and averaged 7.0 points and 5.1 caroms per game. Monka collected 25 steals while dishing out 18 assists for the Blues during her senior year.

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