Preview: RMU looks to keep streak alive against St. Francis Brooklyn
Photo Credit: Thomas Ognibene
January 27, 2020
BROOKLYN– Robert Morris University (12-6, 7-0 NEC) takes on St. Francis Brooklyn’s Terriers (5-13, 1-6 NEC) on the road Monday, as they aim to continue their current seven-game win streak that has them on top of the NEC.
Recapping RMU
Conference play could not have begun any better for the Colonials, as they are yet to lose a single game so far against the NEC. Their last game saw them go down by nine points in the third quarter but pull themselves back to beat the Long Island University Sharks (3-15, 2-5 NEC), 70-59.
In their last game against SFB two weeks ago, RMU won 69-44. The Colonials have one of their deepest lineups this season, with depth at center in Nneka Ezeigbo and Ire Ozzy-Momodou, complimented by a variety of outside shooters such as Isabella Posset, Honoka Ikematsu and several others.
Scouting St. Francis Brooklyn
The Terriers come into this matchup on a five-game winless streak, as they have fallen to the bottom of the conference ranking at 1-6 in NEC play. Four of these games, including the loss against RMU, came on the road, where the Terriers are a dismal 1-8 this season. At home however, the Terriers are 4-3, so the Colonials should not expect a pushover game in Brooklyn.
Players to Watch
Dahomée Forgues (RMU)
In her ten games since taking a starting role in the lineup, Forgues has seen some mixed results as she continues to learn and adapt as a freshman. Against Sacred Heart University (7-11, 4-3 NEC), she played only nine minutes and went 0-4 from the field. Coach Buscaglia, however, gave her another chance against LIU where she shined. Playing 33 minutes, Forgues delivered career-bests in field goals made and attempts (7-15), rebound (7), and points (15). She will look to ride the momentum of that performance into her next game.
Honoka Ikematsu (RMU)
Replacing the injured and struggling Nina Augustin in the starting lineup, Ikematsu has only continued to do what she did best as a bench player, shoot. She has made 42% of her field goals and just under that percentage for her three-pointers (41.8). Against SHU and LIU, Ikematsu delivered 15 and 12 points respectively and has only improved as the season has gone along. Look for her to keep her hot streak up against SFB.
Jade Johnson, Ally Lassen, Nevena Dimitrijevic (SFB)
This season, the Terrier’s team, revolves around these three players as leaders on the offensive side of the ball. Leading the charge is Australian senior Jade Johnson. Johnson has been a staple for the Terriers in her career with over 1,000 career points and multiple school records. She has not missed a beat so far this season, and she is 88th in the nation in points per game (16.7), including a 25-point night against LIU.
A bit more inconsistent but still dangerous, is Ally Lassen, a 6’1″ junior who consistently gets to the free-throw line and is averaging 14.7 PPG. Her best performance came just seven days ago, as she scored 27 against Mount St. Mary’s (10-9, 5-2 NEC).
Finally is a surprising freshman, Nevena Dimitrijevic. From Serbia, Dimitrijevic is a minute 5’3″ guard who shoots the ball any time it is in her hands. She has never attempted less than ten field goals in any game this season and has five 20+ point performances this season.
These big three players were all shut down last game against RMU, so the Colonials will need to do so again if they want to come out on top again in this meeting.
Prediction
As stated previously, the Colonials did a solid job at stopping the Terriers’ top three players in their last outing, and hopefully, players like Ikematsu, Forgues and Ozzy-Momodou can continue to stay hot and perform well. Despite St. Francis Brooklyn’s lowly record, their team can score a large amount of points if given the chance. RMU has consistently shown, however, that they can hold teams defensively, and, as such, RMU has a very likely chance of pulling out their eighth straight victory in this one.
