MOON TOWNSHIP– Wednesday was the beginning of a new chapter of Robert Morris women’s basketball as the Colonials kicked off the 2024-25 season with new head coach Chandler McCabe.
The Colonials defeated the Point Park Pioneers 68-44 Wednesday night, snapping an tied program-record 18-game losing streak dating back to last season.
“[I’m] really happy that we got the win against a really good team. But, we’ve got a lot to work on,” McCabe said. “We saw some really good things and we some things we really need to adjust and correct. The main goal of this team is to just get better every single day. And so tomorrow we plan on being a little better than we were today.”
Some Colonial players got into foul trouble early. Mount St. Mary’s transfer Jada Lee had two fouls in the first quarter, disrupting McCabe’s substitutions earlier than anticipated.
“The whole first half for Jada sitting and then coming back in, it was hard to get into the flow with the fouls… and we were fouling,” McCabe chuckled. So, we got to do a better job of showing our hands. But, ultimately did a really good job in the second half.”
Every Colonial, besides Simone Morris who is nursing an injury, played Wednesday night, foreshadowing of what we can see in the future with this new squad.
“We’re a really deep team,” McCabe said. “I think that’s one of the best things about us. On any given night, it could be any of those kids’ numbers called. I definitely foresee that, you know, us playing a decent amount of players this whole year.”
Morris was the team’s leading scorer last year. Coach McCabe said she’s working her way to come back ‘stronger and better than ever’ on her own timetable.
Raissa Nsabua, Mya Murray shined in their Colonial debuts. Nsabua led the team with 12 points and Murray had 12 rebounds in the win. Naomi Barnwell also had double digit rebounds, eight of which were on the offensive glass.
“[Naomi] can do that every game. She’s tough. She’s a big body. She’s a versatile player. So, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more of that,” McCabe said.
The team had 17 offensive rebounds in the game.
With a new coach, new roster and new season, there was some rust to shake off. The Colonials shot 1-for-17 from beyond the arc, and team total of 19 turnovers. It was the first time the Colonials hit only one three-pointer or less since Jan. 14, 2022.
The Colonials face off against College of Charleston in South Carolina on Saturday at noon. Last time, the Colonials beat the Cougars 71-65 in Charleston last December.
