MOON TOWNSHIP— After leading a large part of the game and fighting off a strong comeback, the Robert Morris Colonials (3-7) defeated the Delaware State Hornets (2-7) 64-63 after a last second basket from Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu.
The Hornets jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and at one point held a double digit lead. Robert Morris was able to cut the deficit to three points at the end of the first quarter.
Robert Morris scored ten seconds into the second quarter to tie the game up and followed it up with three straight points. The Colonials outscored the Hornets 22-8 in the second quarter, cementing the lead going into halftime. Delaware State’s Najai Pollard led all players with 14 points and accounted for over half of the Hornets points in the first half.
The Colonials and Hornets traded points back and forth to start the third quarter. Robert Morris led by 15 points halfway through the third quarter, the largest lead of the game.
Delaware State started to mount a comeback midway through the third quarter. Outscoring the Colonials 19-15 in the third, the Hornets cut the deficit to single digits, leaving Robert Morris with only a seven point lead into the final quarter.
Even from the charging attack of the Hornets, RMU was able to maintain the lead for the first half of the fourth quarter with strong defense. The offense was not in-sync early on in the fourth, as the Hornets scored eight of the first 11 points to give them their first lead since the first quarter.
With only three minutes on the clock both teams traded points back and forth. After a made jumper from Najai Pollard, the Hornets took a 63-62 lead with 1:44 to play. Robert Morris could not convert on the next two possessions, but a turnover on Delaware State gave the Colonials the ball with 22 seconds left. After a timeout, the Colonials Esther Castedo missed a jump shot, but was rebounded and put into the basket by Ozzy-Momodu with seven seconds left to give Robert Morris the victory.
The Colonials were led offensively by Ozzy-Momodu, who contributed with 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. She played 29 minutes, an increase in her usual playing time due to Nneka Ezeigbo being in foul trouble for most of the game. Isabella Posset also had 10 points in 32 minutes for Robert Morris.
Najai Pollard led all Hornets with 36 points, accounting for over half of the points scored by Delaware State in the game. Lanayjha Ashe played all 40 minutes and was the only other Hornets player to eclipse double figures in points.
The Colonials and Hornets played among a recorded attendance of over 1000 fans, many of them being school children. The rare 10 a.m. starting time was to accommodate for many school children who watched the game as part of a field trip, as the Colonials hosted Career and Education day at the North Athletic Complex.
The Colonials will look for three straight wins as they take on James Madison on December 30th. This is the third game of their five game home stretch, the longest of the season. Delaware State will continue their six game road stretch as they will travel to West Virginia to take on Marshall on December 29th.
