OPINION: I’m sorry, RMU women’s basketball

Samuel Anthony, Digital Content Manager
January 16, 2019

Editor’s Note: All opinions on RMU Sentry Media are the writer’s own.

MOON TOWNSHIP — Two weeks ago, I wrote an article discussing the RMU women’s basketball team’s slow start to the season. I used phrases such as “Lack of consistency” and “Struggling offense.” I even went on to claim that despite appearing to be heavy favorites to win the NEC at the beginning of the year, that this was no longer the case.

And boy, was I wrong about every single part of that.

All it took was just four games in two weeks to prove that this Robert Morris team is a level above the rest in the Northeast Conference.

Four games into the conference season and the Colonials have won every single game by a double-digit scoring margin, including absolute domination in their 89-37 victory Monday night over LIU Brooklyn, which was their largest margin of victory since 1984, and their biggest road victory ever.

Not only that, but the offense that I so boldly claimed was not meeting their potential, has scored at least 40 first-half points in each of their last three games.

In conference play this season, they have defeated their opponents by an average of 33.75 points. If one is looking for what complete and utter domination looks like, this is a pretty darn good place to start.

Not only can this team score, but unlike their keystone state rival Saint Francis, this team doesn’t need to rely on just one player for their scoring, this team is chock full of scoring weapons all over the court.

In the victory over LIU Brooklyn, RMU saw five different players in double-digits, eight players with at least six points and 37 bench points. In these first four conference games, RMU has also seen three different players lead their team in scoring.

All of this while missing their best three-point shooter: Megan Callahan.

The Colonials are outscoring their opponents by a ridiculous margin and are playing what can only be described as shutdown defense.

During their current four-game winning streak to start conference play, the Colonials are allowing just 50 points per game. This may not sound like complete dominance, but also consider the fact that by the fourth quarter in almost all of these games, the game has been all but over, and most of the RMU starters are not even on the court.

34 percent of all the scoring that Robert Morris lets up has come in the fourth quarter in the last four games. Meanwhile, RMU has dominated in the first quarter to build their incredible scoring margins. This was highlighted in their early January match-up against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in which FDU was able to put up just two points in the opening frame.

Defense has been the bread and butter of this team during the first two and a half seasons of Charlie Buscaglia’s time as head coach, but this influx of impressive offensive performance has just emphasized that.

This season, the Colonials have forced 20.6 turnovers per game. That number is good enough for 38th in the entire nation. That can be credited to the 10.5 steals they also accumulate per game which puts the Colonials among the top 50 in all of women’s college basketball.

This RMU defense is elite. They play hard all around, and in the last three seasons that has been displayed in full force.

All the categories which were previously criticized and the problems that were presented in my last article have been solved in a stunningly quick fashion as if they had never existed in the first place.

This Colonials squad now ranks sixth in the NEC in points per game, a three-place jump in just four games as Robert Morris is now barely trailing some of the conference’s elite scoring teams. Their scoring margin is the best in the conference and their three-point shooting is ranked fourth.

Not only have these numbers improved, but there is no indication that they won’t continue trending upward.

This is the team to watch at Robert Morris University. If these performances continue, this team not only should and will win the Northeast Conference, but one could be looking at potentially one of the most dominant seasons in conference history.