NON-CONFERENCE CONTEST
ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (1-1) vs. STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (0-2)
Saturday, November 21 - 7:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) - Moon Township, Pa.
Internet: www.rmucolonials.com
Adam Gusky, play-by-play & Matt Kirk, color analyst
Top Story
Robert Morris (1-1) polishes off its three-game season-opening homestand by playing host to the Stony Brook Seawolves (0-2) this Saturday, November 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials are trying to get off to a 2-1 start four the fourth time in seven season under head coach Sal Buscaglia. Strong rebounding and shooting have guided the Colonials to commendable performances in their first two games. Stony Brook is looking to secure their first victory of the season, having been outscored by an average of 31 points in their first two games - home losses to Princeton (68-43) and St. John's (89-52).
Musket Shots
- The Colonials have started the season 2-1 three times previously under Sal Buscaglia and went on to post 20 wins each time
- Robert Morris has not opened a season with three-straight home games since the 1992-93 season
- The Colonials are 60-12 (.833) at the Sewall Center in the last six seasons
- Senior guard Angela Pace is leading the team in points (16.5), rebounds (7.0) and assists (6.0)
- RMU is better from three-point range (48.4 percent) than inside the arc (47.7 percent)
- RMU was picked fourth in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving one first-place vote
- Three RMU players - Mary Durojaye (England), Vega Gimeno-Martinez (Spain) and Anna Gailite (Latvia) - played for their respective national teams last summer.
All-Time Series vs. Stony Brook
Robert Morris and Stony Brook have never played before this season. Head coach Sal Buscaglia is 1-0 against Stony Brook, beating them 79-66 in 1999-2000 as the head coach at Manhattan. The Colonials also play Marquette (12/13), Wisconsin (12/15), Morehead State (12/20), Santa Clara (12/28) and Columbia (12/30) for the first time season as well.
Three-Game Season Opening Homestand
The Colonials open the 2009-10 season with three straight home games for just the third time in team history. The last time that happened was in the 1992-93 season and the first time was in 1983-84. The 92-93 squad started the year 0-3 en route to a 8-18 mark while the 83-84 team got off to a 2-1 record en route to a 23-5 season.
Scouting the Seawolves
Stony Brook has stumbled out of the gates to a 0-2 mark this season, dropping home contests to Princeton (68-43) and St. John's (89-52). The Seawolves are averaging 47.5 points a game this season while allowing 78.5. They are shooting 28.7 percent from the field and 18.8 percent on three-pointers while turning the ball over 27.0 times a contest. Opponents are hitting at a 48.3 percent clip and 34.8 percent from three-point range. Kirsten Jeter is leading the team at 13.0 points a game and is second on the squad at 7.0 rebounds. Destiny Jacobs pulls down 8.0 boards a contest and is scoring 7.5 points.
Stony Brook Head Coach Michele Cherry
Cherry is in her third season as the head coach of the Seawolves after serving as an assistant at the school since 2004. She has compiled a mark of 14-48 to this point of her career. Her career in coaching began in 1992-93 when she was an assistant at Arizona State. Since then, she has been an assistant with Northeast Louisiana, Long Beach StingRays (ABL), Cal State Northridge and the Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA). Cherry played at Oregon State and Arizona State where she graduated in 1992.
Climbing to 600
Head coach Sal Buscaglia needs just nine more wins to reach 600 for his career. Now in his 32nd season, he has racked up a 591-271 record on the junior college and NCAA Division I level. The Buffalo-native earned his 100th career win as RMU head coach last season, his sixth at the helm of the Colonials program.
Sharpshooters
The Colonials currently lead the Northeast Conference in shooting, both overall and from three-point range. the Colonials are shooting 48.0 percent this season, knocking down 47-of-98 chances. Their three-point percentage is better than their overall shooting numbers. RMU connects on 48.4 percent of its three-point tries.
"Triple Crown" Contender
Redshirt-senior Angela Pace is threatening to take a conference "Triple Crown." Pace is tied for first in scoring (16.5 ppg), is seventh in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is second in assists (6.0 apg). The senior leads the Colonials in all three of those categories. In addition, she leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.40) and minutes played (38.0).
Windex
The Colonials have been cleaning the glass this season, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 6.0 boards a game. The margin was nine Thursday night against Akron, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points. Senior Angela Pace and sophomore Mary Durojaye are in the top-13 in the NEC in rebounding.
Sweet Shootin' Silaraja
Junior guard Kristine Silaraja didn't take long to adjust to play in NCAA Division I. The Latvian born guard is shooting 63.6 percent, including 3-of-5 from three-point range while averaging 29.0 minutes a game. A transfer from Barton County C.C., she is third on the team averaging 12.0 points a game.
Baskets in Bunches
Through two games, the Colonials have shown a penchant for scoring in bunches and going on streaks. In the season opener against Kent State, RMU knocked eight of its first nine shots, including five three-pointers while building a 21-12 lead in the game's first nine minutes. Against Akron, the Colonials closed the first half on a 28-9 run, hitting 10-of-13 shots, including four consecutive three-pointers.
