MOUNT ST. MARY'S vs. ROBERT MORRIS
Friday, February 21 | 4:30 p.m.
Moon Township, Pa. | UPMC Events Center
NEC FRONT ROW | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
EMMITSBURG, Md. (Feb. 20, 2020) – Mount St. Mary's women's basketball takes their six game win streak into their toughest test in the Northeast Conference (NEC). First place Robert Morris awaits the Mountaineers in Pittsburgh for a Friday evening showdown.
THE MATCHUP
Mount holds the all-time series over the Colonials, 34-29. The Mountaineers dominated early on, winning 30 games out of 33. That included a 15 game win streak from 1997 to 2004. On January 3, 2005, the script flipped when Robert Morris won 71-57, beginning their string of success. Since then the Colonials have won 25 of 29.
The teams split the regular season a year ago. Mount broke a 12 game skid with a 61-55 win at home February 16th last year. Jatarrikah Settle led all scorers with 21 points.
Robert Morris is the defending NEC champion, after defeating the Mountaineers is the tournament semifinals a year ago.
MOUNTAINEER REPORT
During the Mount's winning streak, the team is hitting their average on points with 69.2 per game. But on defense, they have held opponents to 55.7 points. The Mount is 7-0 this season and 20-3 n Maria Marchesano's career when the defense limits the competition to 60 points or less.
Rebounding has also been key to their success. The Mount has earned 222 rebounds to the opponents' 210, and the team is 8-0 when exceeding in rebounds for a game.
But the Mountaineers' top priority remains offense, as they lead the NEC with a .410 shooting percentage. Three players are averaging double figures over the past six games, led by Michaela Harrison with 14 per game. Joining her with 10+ plus are Rebecca Lee (12.2) and Kendall Bresee (11.3).
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris has not lost against an NEC school in almost a full calendar year, when they fell to Sacred Heart laast March 4th. The Colonials are slightly under the Mountaineers in offensive capacity, but they are second in the conference is defensive scoring, limiting teams to 53.5 points per game. Forcing turnovers is another part of their game as they coax the other side into more than 21 turnovers per game.
On offense, they are led by Nneka Ezeigbo and her 14.4 points per game. Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu comes off the bench to add another 9.4 points on average. Both are exceptional rebounders, with Ozzy-Momodu leading with 8.8 per game. The Colonials get plenty of second chances, with 349 offensive rebounds on the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
The challenging finish to the Mount's season continues with a home game against Merrimack Sunday (Feb. 23) and a road contest versus Saint Francis U Saturday (Feb. 29).
