The Robert Morris Colonials women's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League.[2]
| Robert Morris Colonials | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Robert Morris University | ||
| Head coach | Chandler McCabe (1st season) | ||
| Conference | Horizon League | ||
| Location | Moon Township, Pennsylvania | ||
| Arena | UPMC Events Center (capacity: 4,000) | ||
| Nickname | Colonials | ||
| Colors | Blue, white, and red[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1988, 1991, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 | |||
Program History
editRobert Morris began its women's basketball program in 1970, and rattled off 11 straight winning seasons from 1978–79 to 1988–89.[3] Under RMU Athletic Hall of Fame head coach Dan Swalga,[4] the Colonials achieved their first 20-win season in 1981–82 at 20–8, won the Pennwood West tournament after a 23-5 campaign in 1983–84, and captured their first ECAC Metro (now Northeast Conference) Tournament championship in 1988. Swalga led RMU to a second NEC tournament title in 1991, but the program then fell into a 16-season championship drought.
After winning just seven games over a three-season span, the Colonials hired Sal Buscaglia from Manhattan to turn around the program. RMU went 3–24 in Buscaglia's first season, but rebounded with a 20–10 record in 2004-05 - marking the third-largest single-season turnaround in NCAA history. Another 20-win season followed, then the Colonials won their third NEC tournament championship and advanced to the program's first NCAA tournament in 2006–07.[5] RMU added a second NCAA tournament berth the next season,[6] and earned a Postseason WNIT berth in 2009-10 after going 17–1 in league play.
Following an injury-plagued 2012–13 season, RMU reached the peak again in 2013–14 with its fifth NEC tournament title and third NCAA tournament berth. Two years later, Buscaglia added another NEC tournament crown and NCAA tournament bid in his final season on the bench, before handing over the reins to his son, Charlie Buscaglia, prior to the 2016–17 season.[7]
Coach B, as he is respectfully called, has continued to raise the standard for the program. In his first season, the Colonials made it back-to-back NEC tournament championships and played in their fifth NCAA tournament, then followed that with a school-record 25 wins[8] and Postseason WNIT berth in 2017–18. In 2018–19, RMU went 16–2 in league play - including a 11–0 start[9] - winning their eighth NEC tournament and sixth NCAA tournament bid. This past season, the Colonials went 23-7 and started a program-best 14–0 in the NEC,[10] and became the first team since Saint Francis U from 2001 to 2005 to win at least a share of four consecutive NEC regular-season crowns.[11] RMU moved onto the NEC Tournament semifinals and were recipients of the conference's NCAA tournament berth after the cancellation of the NEC Tournament due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
In the classroom, the Colonials ranked in the top five of NCAA Division I women's basketball in cumulative grade point average, finishing second in 2016-17[12] and fourth in 2017–18.[13]
Overall, RMU has captured eight NEC Tournaments, eight NEC regular-season titles, and played in nine national postseason tournaments (6 NCAA, 2 WNIT, 1 WBI). The Colonials have won 20 or more games in 13 seasons.
Postseason results
editNCAA tournament results
editThe Colonials have appeared in the NCAA tournament six times. Their combined record is 0–6.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | #13 | First Round | #4 N.C. State | L, 52-84 |
| 2008 | #15 | First Round | #2 Rutgers | L, 42-85 |
| 2014 | #16 | First Round | #1 Notre Dame | L, 42-93 |
| 2016 | #16 | First Round | #1 Connecticut | L, 49-101 |
| 2017 | #16 | First Round | #1 Notre Dame | L, 49-79 |
| 2019 | #16 | First Round | #1 Louisville | L, 34-69 |
WNIT results
editThe Colonials have appeared in two Women's National Invitation Tournaments (WNIT). Their record is 0–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | First Round | St. Bonaventure | L, 50-76 |
| 2018 | First Round | Drexel | L, 44-57 |
WBI results
editThe Colonials have appeared in one Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | First Round | Manhattan | L, 54-77 |
Award History
editNEC Player of the Year: 6[14]
- Last: Anna Niki Stamolamprou, 2016-17
NEC Rookie of the Year: 2
- Last: Ashley Ravelli, 2012-13
NEC Defensive Player of the Year: 2
- Last: Nneka Ezeigbo, 2018-19
NEC Coach of the Year: 7
- Last: Charlie Buscaglia, 2019-20
NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: 3
- Last: Nneka Ezeigbo, 2019-20
NEC Tournament MVP: 8
- Last: Nneka Ezeigbo, 2019
All-NEC First Team: 22
- Last: Nneka Ezeigbo, 2019-20
All-NEC Second Team: 21
- Last: Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu, 2019-20
All-NEC Third Team: 2
- Last: Isabella Posset, 2019-20
All-NEC Rookie Team: 16
- Last: Isabella Posset, 2018-19
All-NEC Tournament Team: 24
- Last: Nina Augustin & Nneka Ezeigbo, 2019
References
edit- ^ "RMU Brand Style Guide" (PDF). March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Robert Morris leaves NEC for Horizon League". espn.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "2018 19 Rmu WBB Fact Book" (PDF).
- ^ "Dan Swalga (2006) - RMU Athletic Hall of Fame".
- ^ "RMU Women's Basketball Draws No. 4 Seeded NC State in NCAA Tournament".
- ^ "RMU Draws Rutgers in NCAA Tournament Opening Round".
- ^ "Buscaglia to Retire Following 2015-16 Season".
- ^ "Colonials Break Win Record in Rout of LIU, Advance to NEC Title Game".
- ^ "RMU Escapes the Ocean State Unbeaten, Defeating Bryant, 60-57".
- ^ "Win Streak Hits 14 in 66-57 Triumph at Saint Francis U".
- ^ "Third Quarter Run Lifts RMU to Fourth Straight NEC Regular-Season Crown".
- ^ "Green Bay, Emporia State, Emerson, Purdue Northwest, des Moines sit atop 2016-17 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls".
- ^ "WBCA announces 2017-18 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls".
- ^ "Women's Basketball Award History".
