Robert Morris women’s basketball opened their 2017-18 season against the Spartans of Michigan State. The Colonials were outdueled by Sparty 100-58
Here are a few takeaways from today’s matchup versus Michigan State.
Turnovers, turnovers everywhere: In the first half, Robert Morris had a total of 18 turnovers. They finished the matchup with 27 total, clearly limiting some of the damage in the second half. But still, 27 turnovers is not a way for a team to win a ball game.
15 of those turnovers were at the hands of RMU’s newest freshman additions.
Honoka Ikematsu looked confident in her debut, but her first game will be marred by her 6 turnovers committed at the hands of the Spartans.
By the time the Colonials found an answer to their inability to protect the basketball, it was already too late for any sort of comeback.
Where did Mikalah Mulrain go?: With big expectations from the senior class this season, senior center Mikalah Mulrain failed to make any sort of impact.
Mulrain spent 22 minutes on the court but ended up with only 5 points 2 rebounds and a single block.
Michigan State is a tough matchup especially in terms of size. The Spartans boast a roster that contains four players taller than 6’3” which can provide a challenge to a player like Mulrain who really makes her impact in rebounds.
Against a much smaller Bowling Green team in their upcoming home opener, expect Mulrain to be far more dominant under the hoop.
Watch out for Nia Adams: Nia Adams definitely emerged today as someone the Colonials can expect as a key player down the stretch this season. A player who was trapped behind dominant players such as Anna-Niki Stamolamprou and Janee Brown in previous years, it is finally Adams’ time to shine and she has taken full advantage.
Adams finished the day 5-for-10 shooting with 12 points and 1 assist. She finished second in scoring behind freshman Megan Callahan.
If Adams can do a better job facilitating this offense in terms of ball movement, there is no doubt this offense will be a force to reckon with.
Callahan meets all the expectations: The newcomer to keep an eye on for this Robert Morris squad from Bristow, Virginia product Megan Callahan. The highly touted recruit made the statement today that she is here to fill the scoring void left by the team’s outgoing seniors.
Callahan led the team in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting including being an astonishing 4-for-6 from three-point range. Having a deep threat in Callahan this season will aid greatly in relieving the pressure from Nneka Ezeigbo and Mikalah Mulrain down low.
Callahan only earned 17 minutes in her debut. But if her strong offensive performances continue, expect her playing time to gradually increase.
The Colonials can force turnovers too: If you ignore the putrid 27 turnovers that Robert Morris accumulated, the team actually forced 17 turnovers themselves, leading to 22 points being scored off turnovers.
A big part of that was Jocelynne Jones who finished the day with a career-high 4 steals en route to one of the more surprising performances of the day from a senior with relatively little production for the Colonials last season.
Her improved defense could really help keep Robert Morris in games if their turnover struggles continue.
