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Fairfield, Conn. / William H. Pitt Center -The
Robert Morris University women's basketball team saw its 2011-12 season come to
an end with a 61-56 loss at Sacred Heart in the semifinals of the 2012
Northeast Conference Championships Presented by Ruby Tuesday. The Colonials
finish the season 18-13 overall while Sacred Heart improves to 24-7 and
advances to the championship game against Monmouth.
Junior Josette Campbell (London, England / Notre Dame
Prep (NW Florida State)) led all scored with 20 points. She drilled 6-of-11
three pointers and finished 7-of-13 overall. Senior Mary Durojaye (London,
England / Barking Abbey (British National Team)) ended a stellar four-year
career with a double-double, scoring 10 points and 10 rebounds. Junior
Briannica Tye (Aurora, Ill. / West Aurora (Mineral Area)) tacked on 10 points.
Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year Gabrielle
Washington had 18 points to lead Sacred Heart. Point guard Ericka Norman
flirted with a triple-double. She had 11 points, nine assists and eight
rebounds.
Following a slow start from both teams, Campbell splashed
a pair of three-pointers from the left wing and Tye scored five straight points
as Robert Morris surged out to a 13-9 lead seven minutes after tip-off. The
next nine points, however, belonged to Sacred Heart as Callan Taylor buried a
three and 15-foot jumper to take an 18-13 lead.
The Pioneers pushed the lead to as many as eight points,
25-17, when Taylor buried her second three-pointer of the game with 2:08 to
play, capping a 17-4 run. Campbell had one last parting shot, nailing her third
trey to make the margin five at the break.
Sacred Heart stretched their lead to nine points five
minutes into the second half and it was once again a shot from downtown by
Campbell that sparked an RMU run. Her three was followed by a tough baseline
lay-in by Artemis Spanou (Rhodes, Greece / Nea Smyrni (Greek National Team)).
Tye finished off the 8-0 surge with her own three-pointer that made 33-32 with
13:35 to go.
Once again the Pioneers had an answer as Alexis Campbell
and Washington compined to put the lead back to eight points. RMU again cut the
lead to three only to watch the host squad go nine points ahead. A last gasp
effort on a three-pointer from Campbell and a short jumper by Kelly Hartwell
(Woodbridge, Va. / Gar-Field) to within three points with 15 seconds to play,
but a pair of free throws by Taylor sealed the game, 61-56.
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