RMU Women’s Basketball: Four Stars Of The Game In NEC Tournament Win Over FDU
By Larry Snyder
The Robert Morris University women’s basketball team claimed victory Sunday in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast Conference tournament when they defeated the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights 89-61 at the Charles L Sewall Center.
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RMU is the defending league champion and the No. 3 seed in this year’s tournament. The Colonials elevated their record to 16-14 overall and 13-5 in the NEC this season. For Fairleigh Dickinson, the No. 6 seed, this defeat ended their campaign with a record of 10-20 overall and 7-11 in the conference.
From the opening tip-off, the action in the first half was fast and furious as the Knights shot 56% and Robert Morris connected at 58.6%. The two programs combined for nine turnovers as the lead went back and forth 11 times. Robert Morris had just a two point lead going into half-time.
The Colonials continued to assert themselves on the scoreboard as they shot 50% in the second-half and put up 49 points to FDU’s 23. The Robert Morris defense kept the Knights to 7-of-32 shooting. RMU also won the battle of the boards 40-32 for the entire contest.
This afternoon’s win also marked the fourth time this season that all 11 Robert Morris players put points on the scoreboard.
Time to review the four players that helped the Colonials to advance to the next round in the NEC tournament.
1) Rebecca Navarro led the attack by recording 23 points on the score sheet. The 5-foot-11 guard from Galicia, Spain went 8-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. She also had two assists and one blocked shot.
2) The second leading scorer was sophomore Anna Niki Stamolamprou who claimed her first career double-double. The 5-foot-9 guard from Thessaloniki, Greece had 13 points and a career high 11 rebounds. She tied her career high with eight assists on the afternoon.
3) Megan Smith, a member of the NEC All-Rookie team, contributed 12 points. The 6-foot-1 freshman forward from Barrie, Ontario also grabbed four rebounds.
4) Redshirt senior Jolie Olingende was second on the team with eight rebounds. The 6-foot-1 forward from the Congo put up seven points and a steal in 12 minutes of play off the bench.
Post game interview with RMU Associate Head Coach, Charlie Buscaglia
NEC Defensive Player of the Year and redshirt junior center Erika Livermore led the Knights offense with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Junior guard Kelsey Cruz contributed 18 points while senior guard Tiffany Grant rounded out FDU’s attack with 11 points. Senior guard Amanda Andrades led the team with eight assists and chipped in nine points. Livermore and Grant tied for the lead in rebounds with five apiece.
Up Next: Robert Morris hits the road for the NEC semifinals Wednesday, March 11 against the No. 2 seed Bryant University. The Bulldogs advanced Sunday to the semifinals after they downed the No. 7 seed Mount St. Mary’s 76-54.
The tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The Colonials are 7-10 on the road this season while the Bulldogs are 12-2 at home. The two programs split their two-game regular season series with each squad winning at home.
From The Clipboard: RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia announced Saturday, March 7 that the 2015-2016 season will be his last one as the head of the women’s basketball team. He is in his 12th season at Robert Morris.
Buscaglia has led the Colonials in capturing NEC Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament berths in 2007, 2008 and 2014. RMU has been to six national tournaments in seven seasons since 2007. The Colonials five regular season championships and three NCAA Tournament berths over 11 seasons are tied for most in the conference.
Charlie Buscaglia, who serves as the associate head coach for the team, was named coach in waiting. He will take over the team for the 2016-2017 campaign.