RMU Women’s Basketball: Four Stars Of The Game Carry Colonials Past Bryant
By Larry Snyder
Led by sophomore guards Rebecca Navarro and Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who combined for 33 points, the Robert Morris University women’s basketball team Wednesday won the semifinal round of the Northeast Conference tournament defeating the Bryant University Bulldogs 68-62.
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RMU entered the contest at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, RI as the No. 3 seed in the tournament and the defending league champion. The Colonials improved their record to 17-14 overall this season. They own a 13-5 mark in the NEC.
With this defeat, the Bulldogs, the No. 2 seed, saw their record fall to 22-9 overall. Bryant achieved a program record 14 NEC wins this season and their first-ever NEC Regular Season Title.
At the opening tip-off, Robert Morris went on a 15-7 run just six minutes into the contest and they were able to build a 34-20 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, Robert Morris held a 66-58 lead with 35 seconds on the clock. A free-throw by Bulldogs senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey and a three-pointer from junior guard Dani Anderson closed the gap to 66-62. It was a pair of free-throws from RMU freshman Megan Smith with three seconds left that put the game away.
The Colonials shot 51% including going 8-of-18 for 44.4% from three-point range. The defense held Bryant to 34.3% shooting. RMU held a 38-34 advantage on the boards, while the bench outscored Bryant’s reserves 17-5.
Tonight’s victory also marked the twelfth time this season that 10 or more Robert Morris players put points on the scoreboard.
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Let’s check out the four players that helped the Colonials win their second straight and advance the team to the NEC Championship Game for the second consecutive season.
1) Navarro went 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range in recording 17 points on the scoreboard. The 5-foot-11 guard from Galicia, Spain contributed three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
2) Close behind as the second leading scorer was Stamolamprou who had 16 points. The 5-foot-9 native of Thessaloniki, Greece supplied six rebounds, four assists, and one steal on the evening..
3) Smith was the leader in rebounds with nine. The 6-foot-1 forward from Barrie, Ontario put up eight points.
4) Ashley Ravelli rounded out the offense with eight points in 25 minutes of play. The 5-foot-10 junior guard from Milano, Italy had two assists, one rebound and one steal.
Bailey led the Bulldogs offense with 18 points and seven assists. NEC Player of the Year and junior guard Breanna Rucker added 14 points and 10 rebounds for her 22nd double-double of the season.
Both junior guard Tiersa Winder and sophomore center Morgan Olander chipped in 10 points apiece for the Black and Gold. The 5-foot-8 Winder also had five rebounds and four steals.
Up Next: Robert Morris comes back home to host the NEC Championship contest Sunday, March 15 against the No. 5 seed St. Francis Brooklyn. The Terriers made it to the title game Wednesday night after they upset the No. 1 seed Central Connecticut State University 71-63.
The tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
The Colonials are 9-4 at home this season, while the Terriers are 7-9 on the road. RMU swept the two-game regular season series.
From The Clipboard: With Wednesday’s victory, head coach Sal Buscaglia claimed a Northeast Conference record 17 wins in the NEC Tournament… Freshman center Mikalah Mulrain had seven points, three rebounds, and one assist in 17 minutes of play off the bench…Attendance was 464…The officials were John Palermo, Mike Schmidt, Kathy Lonergan, William Dugan.