RMU women's basketball eliminated from Horizon League Tournament

The Robert Morris women’s basketball team saw its season come to a close Thursday night with a 68-54 loss to Northern Kentucky in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.

The ninth-seeded Colonials held an 11-10 lead after the first quarter, but No. 8 NKU used a 13-2 run to gain a lead it would not relinquish.

The Norse went into halftime with a 31-19 advantage.

“Coach (Camryn) Whitaker and Northern Kentucky have an amazing team,” said RMU assistant coach Scott Schneider, who served as acting head coach with Charlie Buscaglia unable to travel because of covid-19 protocols.

“We knew it from the first time we played them back in December, and this was a team poised for a good postseason run. We were a little sluggish in the second quarter, and our defense didn’t hold up.”

NKU outscored the Colonials, 38-20, over the second and third quarters. RMU held a 23-20 fourth-quarter advantage, but the deficit had grown too much to overcome.

“When you give a team like that a big lead, it’s tough to make a comeback,” Schneider said. “We’re proud of our team with how hard we fought and the resilience we showed down the stretch to keep clawing to get back into the game late.”

Junior guard Esther Castedo paced the Colonials with a career-high 21 points.

“Esther stayed steady for the entire game,” Schneider said. “She stayed dialed in and never hung her head, which was something we were focused on.”

Freshman forward Sol Castro added nine points and seven rebounds.

Sol is the first RMU newcomer to lead the team in scoring (9.9 ppg) and rebounds (5.5 rpg) for a season since 2004-05.

The Colonials finished their season 4-13 overall and 4-12 in their first season in the Horizon League.

“There were plays that I wish I could have back and plays that I’m sure our players wish they’d have back,” Schneider said. “But never once did the group hang their heads.”