MOON TOWNSHIP– Robert Morris’ Women’s basketball team has been in the midst of a 15-game losing streak going into Saturday’s game. A big aspect that has hampered the Colonials has been their struggle on the offensive end. The Colonials 6-22 (2-17) would look to jump to a hot start and return to the win column against the first-placed Cleveland State Vikings 25-4 (16-2), but the Colonials would ultimately fall 79-40.

The offensive struggles continued as RMU was shooting 5-15 from the floor at the end of the first quarter and found themselves down 25-11. However, they were getting to the rim and getting good looks as they only attempted two three-pointers the whole first quarter, which is good to see because they did not want to be shooting over a zone, as the Vikings wanted the Colonials to do.

On the other end, the Vikings were shooting a red-hot 8-12 from the floor, including two three-pointers at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, the Colonials would be unable to score a single point and were subject to a 39-7 run that started back to the 1st quarter with 7:41 left when RMU took a 4-2 lead. The Vikings outscored the Colonials 16-0 in the second as well. Cleveland State would take a 41-11 lead into the half.

Acting Head Coach Scott Schneider talked about the difficulty facing the Cleveland State zone after the game.

“They read and react really well.” said Schneider. “A lot of 2 3s that are run are stationary. They’re stagnant, they don’t move and shift. But with Cleveland State running it so much as they do, they’ll bring their wings to the high post. They’ll shift their center to the top. And suppose you don’t have ball movement, you don’t have pace, and you don’t find those opportunities quickly within what they’re doing to get an advantage. In that case, their defense becomes so aggressive and intense that it almost strangles you throughout the game.”

RMU would turn to a trapping press in the second half, which did lead to some turnovers, but their inability to make shots made it difficult to set up the press as much as they would have liked to.

Colbi Maples led all scorers with 22, along with three assists. She was a load to handle on the premier for the Colonials as she ran the Cleveland State offense to perfection.

The Colonials will look to end their difficult regular season with a win as they play host to Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, Feb. 27th, at 7 PM.