Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Lady Colonials defeat Marshall

Happy Arty!
by Aaron Hartman

The RMU Women’s team notched their first win of the season in convincing fashion against Marshall on Tuesday morning.

This was the annual elementary school game where 600 students from area schools attend the game, which would explain the bizarre start time of 10:00 AM. The children provided quite a bit of life for the team throughout the game. Luckily for the kids, they got to see the RMU ladies put on display their true talents.
The team was up 32-25 going into halftime, and they did not look back after that. By the 16 minute mark in the second half, the Colonials were up by 15. For the rest of the game, they held Marshall at bay and closed out the game winning 67-48.

The team’s main goal for the game was to neutralize Marshall’s best player, Leah Scott. Huge props to Ashley Ravelli for keeping her in check and only allowing her to score 9 total points. The defense overall kept Marshall off of the board and did a much better job at not allowing wide open looks. Rebounding was a big reason for the victory as well. The team pulled down 33 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds, out-rebounding Marshall in both categories.
It was elementary day at the Chuck.

Offensively, the team relied heavily on Senior Forward Artemis Spanou, who scored a ridiculous 31 points. Freshman Guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou played another solid game, but the development that was evident was her chemistry with Artemis. Stamolamprou had five assists, the highest in the game, and every one of those assists went to Artemis. The team shot 12 for 18 from the line which is fine, but could always be better.

Both teams stayed out of foul trouble throughout the game. RMU was in the bonus for the final seven minutes of the first half, but that was the only time in the game that either team was in the bonus. Freshman Center Cassie Oursler doubled her playing time this game over last game because she only had one foul all game.
This was the RMU team that I have been waiting to see. They ran the plays that they had effectively, limited turnovers, and really outplayed Marshall in every aspect of the game. I’ll call it now; Anna Niki Stamolamprou has what it takes to win NEC Rookie of the Year. With the way Artemis is carrying the team, it would be a crime if she didn't win NEC Player of the Year again.

An interesting point to note: Freshman Guard Janee Brown got the start today instead of Senior Forward Kelly Hartwell. I can only imagine the reason that Coach Sal chose Janee over Kelly was so that she could play point and Stamolamprou could play on the wing to start out the game. Kelly did not look to be injured; she played 20 minutes in total.

This will probably end up being my favorite Women’s game of the season. Not only did we play an awesome game, but the elementary school kids made the atmosphere of the game very positive. After the game, the team waved to the kids as they were heading out and signed autographs for all of their posters. Hopefully the ladies can take the momentum from this big win and use it to keep on winning.


The next game will be Sunday, November 17 at 5:00 PM against Coppin State. The game should be over in time to make it to the nearest TV for the RMU vs. Kentucky at 7:00 PM that same night. Please make your way to the game to support the team.

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