MOON TOWNSHIP– Robert Morris (3-5, 1-3 Horizon) looked to rebound from their loss to Green Bay on Thursday, and the Colonials finished their two-game homestand with a 66-47 loss to Milwaukee (4-5, 3-1) at the UPMC Events Center.

RMU looked to rely on their defense, as it looked great in the first quarter. However, Milwaukee hit a couple of key threes to give them the lead and the momentum.

The Colonials were also held scoreless for the final 6:46 of the quarter. All in all, this resulted in Milwaukee taking a 15-6 lead after 10 minutes of play.

Head coach Charlie Buscaglia was still sidelined with a “non-COVID related ailment” today. Assistant coach Scott Schneider stepped in and talked about the defensive effort.

“It’s getting there… the heart and the effort are there, but against good teams like Milwaukee, Green Bay… The second you have one breakdown against a team like that, they teach you a lesson.”

The second quarter started with more of the same, as the Colonials were playing great defense, but just couldn’t get the ball to go through the basket. Milwaukee made a couple of layups to extend their lead to 13 early in the quarter.

At one point, the aforementioned RMU scoring drought had exceeded ten minutes. However, the Colonials weren’t going to give up without a fight. They continued to play hard, and the momentum appeared to be swinging in the Colonials’ favor near the end of the quarter.

The defense forced a total of 10 turnovers in the 1st half and RMU cut the deficit to single digits at halftime, trailing 29-21.

Esther Castedo was a big reason the Colonials stayed in the contest. Coach Schneider talked about her efforts and how much she means to the team.

“Esther’s been a rock for us. The best thing she brings is her consistency, and that’s something that you can depend on,” he said. “She does a great job of being that leader for us through her actions.”

Coming out of the half, the Colonials looked hungry for a win. The defense was still performing well, and they were finally getting shots to fall.

RMU cut the deficit to 6 early in the 3rd quarter, but after that, the Panthers started to assert their dominance. Milwaukee shot 8/13 (61.5%) from the floor in the 3rd quarter, and RMU went just 3/14 (21.4%).

Milwaukee went on a 13-3 run spanning the last 7:17 of the 3rd quarter and took a 46-29 lead after three frames.

The fourth quarter got the RMU crowd rocking thanks to a Natalie Villaflor three-pointer, and the Colonials had opportunities to chip away at the deficit. Unfortunately, they did not, which resulted in their second straight defeat.

RMU looks to rebound from this two-game losing streak when they take on the Miami Hurricanes on December 12th in Coral Gables. Their next home game is Saturday, December 18th, vs. St. Bonaventure.