After an intense week of big matchups and a whole lot of Colonial Sports, there might be some questions of what’s next for these teams on campus. Here’s a breakdown of what you may have missed and what to look forward to this week in RMU Sports.
Women’s Basketball Faces Season Defining Road Trip
Fresh off a devastating collapse for the Colonials at home against undefeated Purdue Fort Wayne, the team will now look ahead to a difficult two game road stretch with all to play for. The Colonials gave up 26 points in the 4th quarter to the Mastodons, a trend that was hinted at, yet disguised because of the win streak.
Now with the much talked about streak over and a harsh snap back to reality, RMU will have to regroup as they take on Milwaukee and Green Bay in their next two games. Both games are away and will be played Feb. 6 and 8, with little turnover time for the Colonials. Yet with the Horizon League playoff race so tight, both games will matter massively.
Milwaukee currently sits at the bottom of the Horizon League with only two wins in conference. The Colonials beat the Panthers at home by one point for Chandler McCabe’s first conference win as head coach.
Unfortunately, RMU can’t fondly look back at their last matchup against Green Bay. The one-loss Phoenix beat the Colonials by 30 at home when they met just a couple weeks ago, yet this Colonials team have shown they are no slouch, especially against the top opponents.
If Coach McCabe can solidify her defense, most importantly in the latter half of games, then RMU can go head to head with anyone.
Men’s Basketball Forced to Rebound Against Detroit Mercy
Men’s basketball’s six game win streak came to an end Sunday afternoon after the Colonials came up short in a tough matchup against Wright State. The 66-64 score line meant the Colonials scored under 70 points for the first time since their last loss against Cleveland State.
The 8-5 Colonials will want to forget about the slip up and change focus to a revenge game against Detroit Mercy. The last time these two teams met, Detroit Mercy came out on top in overtime 78-76. The Titans tenth in the Horizon League, with a record of 4-9 but riding a two game win streak.
If the Colonials will want to remain fourth in the Horizon League, they’ll have to take advantage of this matchup. RMU will face Detroit Mercy at the UPMC Events Center on Wednesday at 7 P.M.
Men’s Lacrosse Opens Their Season In Richmond
The Robert Morris Men’s Lacrosse team will once again open their season in Virginia as they take on Richmond on Saturday, Feb. 8. Last year was the first meeting of the two teams, as the Spiders came out on top 23-7. Richmond would go on to lose in the A-10 Finals against No. 16 Saint Joseph’s.
This year Richmond has already played a game, losing to #5 ranked Maryland by a score of 7-12. The Colonials only game this season was a behind-closed-doors exhibition to Michigan, the second consecutive year the Colonials have made the the trip to Ann Arbor.
After struggling to find success in the ASUN conference over the last couple years, RMU will look to get back to winning ways in the NEC where they last won a conference championship in 2019.
After the game, the Colonials will play another A-10 team in High Point, before returning to Joe Walton Stadium for their home opener against St. Bonaventure on February 18.
Men’s and Women’s Hockey Face Weekend Conference Matchups
With the season winding down, both of Robert Morris’ Hockey programs will look to make up ground in their respective conferences ahead of their final few series.
Men’s Hockey are travelling to Massachusetts for a away series against Bentley, who sit fourth in the AHA. Two wins for RMU could see them close the gap to Air Force, who they’ll play in their final regular season game.
Before that though, the Colonials will have to face not only fourth placed Bentley, but third place Niagara, meaning two of the final three matchups for RMU will be top five teams. In a AHA table that’s so close, every point moving forward will matter.
Women’s Hockey continued their struggles after being swept by both Mercyhurst and No. 8 Penn State this past weekend, by an aggregate of 23 to 5. They’ll want to turn their form around against a Syracuse team who they could end up facing in the AHA Playoffs.
While RMU have no chance of leapfrogging the Orange or RIT, who sit ahead of the them, the Colonials will feel they have the opportunity to stop the bleeding and create a streak heading into the postseason, as after welcoming Syracuse, they’ll stay home to play the only team currently below them in the standings, Lindenwood. So if there was a time to turn the season around for Robert Morris, these final two series will prove it.
