Moon Township, Pa. – The Colonials opened their home schedule as they fell short in a heartbreaker to Akron, 63-58. This was the first game that was decided in overtime for the Colonials in the 2023 campaign.

With the loss, the RMU women's basketball team drops to 1-2 overall while the Zips picked up their first win of the season and are now 1-2.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Colonials heated up in the third quarter as they closed the frame on a 16-7 run that put the home team up seven heading into the fourth quarter. The run started with a Simone Morris three pointer that cut the RMU deficit to two, 33-31. Additionally, Naomi Barnwell added four straight points on the run followed by a Morris layup that tied the game at 37. Micah O'Dell and Louella Allana joined the action as they both hit a triple to extend the Colonial lead. Rebecca Dwomoh closed the third quarter with a layup that gave RMU their largest lead of the contest as it was 47-40 in favor of the home team going into the final frame.


The Zips shot 41.6 percent (5-of-12) in the fourth quarter alone and outscored the Colonials 15-8 in the final frame to help push the game into overtime. Madison O'Dell had a chance to win the game for RMU at the buzzer with the contest tied at 55 but the shot hit the back of the rim and bounced off as the game went into extra time. The Colonials struggled in overtime as they were 0-8 from the field and three points total, meanwhile the Zips responded with eight overtime points to close out the game.

THE DIFFERENCE
In the rebounding category, the Zips had 49 boards while holding the Colonials with 35. Akron also had an interior presence that disrupted RMU as the Zips had 40 points in the paint while the Colonials had 18. Akron's Reagan Bess had a game-high 22 points and 19 rebounds while also going 10-12 from the charity stripe.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Barnwell paced the Colonials with 14 points as she knocked down 5-of-9 from the field and a perfect 4- for-4 from the free throw line. She recorded a team-high nine boards and two blocks while Allana chipped in 11 points and four boards. She finished 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while recording three assists and two steals. Morris finished with 10 points and four boards while freshman Madison O'Dell had eight points and a team-high four assists.

UP NEXT
The Colonials will go back on the road as they travel to Fairfax, Virginia to battle George Mason on Saturday, Nov. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN+.

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