Moon Township — The Robert Morris women’s basketball team defeated Northern Kentucky by a score of 63-59 at the UPMC Event Center on Sunday.
The Colonials have entered themselves into the Horizon League championship picture in the recent few weeks. After a slow 5-12 start, RMU has clawed their way to a 12-14 record, now up to fouth in the conference.
The Norse also had a very slow start, beginning the season 3-12, and came into the game at 10-16, including a win vs. the Colonials on Jan 8.
In the first quarter, both the Norse and Colonials battled back and forth for a total of 7 lead changes and 7 ties in the opening frame, with NKU holding the lead for triple the amount of time as RMU.
The Colonials climbed back up in the second, heading into halftime with a 3-point lead. The Norse forced 4 turnovers to the Colonials, too, but could only convert one more point off of them.
More of the same occurred in the third quarter. Graduate forward Mya Murray grabbed 5 rebounds in under 5 minutes, giving the Colonials several extra possessions and the Norse were held to 1-for-7 from three. Despite the positives for RMU, the Norse lessened the lead by one point.
The fourth quarter continued the close battle. RMU converted two of their five three point attempts, both massive momentum shifts by graduate guard Jada Lee. The Norse, however, shot only 1-for-6. Although the score was so close all game, the Colonials clutched up, and never trailed in the fourth quarter.
Senior forward Isys Grady iced the game in the final ten seconds, hitting two massive free throws to bring the lead to multiple possessions. Grady scored a team-high 15 points, along with 2 rebounds and an assist.
Mya Murray continued her hot stretch this afternoon, scoring 12 points and 7 rebounds as a starting big. Dani Vuletich has also starred in a sixth man role off the bench since coming back from a lengthy injury absence.
Vuletich scored 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block on 66% shooting in only 18 minutes. She led the bench unit, who gained an astounding 17 points today, allowing the starters to take come much needed rest.
The Colonials also held the Norse to only 17% from three, second-worst of their season and a far cry from their average of 32%.
The Norse fall to 10-17 after this afternoon’s game, and look to save their season on life support in games against Purdue Fort Wayne, Wright State, Detroit Mercy, and Oakland.
The Colonials look to lock-in a top 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament with wins in their next few games. Their next game is against Cleveland State, who is currently 3rd in the Horizon League. RMU will then play Youngstown State at home and Wright State on the road.
The game at Cleveland State will take place at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, Feb 22. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
