It was announced that Robert Morris’ women’s basketball team will be going dancing this March when the No. 16 seeded Robert Morris Colonials face the No. 1 seed and undefeated University of Connecticut Huskies on March 19.
The Colonials finished 20-12 on the season and won the Northeast Conference after beating the Sacred Heart Pioneers this past Sunday, 56-51. Ashley Ravelli finished with a game-high 14 points, two coming in the final 12 seconds from the free throw line.
Anna Niki Stamolamprou finished Sunday’s game with only 10 points, but was a major contributor to the win that gave the Colonials their dancing shoes. She was also named the NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
This win becomes more specials knowing that long-time head coach Sal Buscaglia will be hanging up his hat at the conclusion of this season. The 62-year-old coach has been a longtime advocate for women’s sports and has compiled over 700 wins at four separate schools.
“I will never say the expression, ‘That’s the way it is,’” Buscaglia said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He continued, “The two greatest people in my life were women. So I think the experiences I’ve had in life have sort of trickled down to me constantly telling my young ladies that, ‘You can be as strong as any guy,’ and, ‘Never settle because you’re a woman.’ I just don’t want them to settle.”
Buscaglia has become a major inspiration for his ladies and the program as a whole. This win notched the program’s sixth NEC Championship and will be playing in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2014 when they lost against Notre Dame.
Of course, all odds are against the local Colonials, but Robert Morris will leave this season, regardless, with its head held high. The program has made significant progress in the last decade, creating a team that is not only diverse in nature, but on the court and the way in which they handle their business.
The Huskies have been women’s basketball’s best team this season and will have to face a hungry Robert Morris team that does not feel like going home anytime soon. The Colonials will have a hard time containing a lethal offense. Eight players average points in the double digits and UConn as a whole averaged 87 points per game.
Buscaglia and his team has a lot of work to do leading up to Saturday’s game that begins at 11:00 a.m. One thing is certain, Robert Morris will not bow out of any game that is coached by a true women’s basketball icon.
