GAME 5
RMU (1-3) vs. Morehead State (1-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021 • 1:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center • Moon Township, Pa.
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp) & Justin Pyles (color)
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: RMUWBasketball

GAME 6
RMU (0-3) @ Canisius (1-3)
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 • 7:00 p.m.
Koessler Athletic Center • Buffalo, N.Y.
TV: ESPN3
Twitter: @RMUWBasketball • Instagram: RMUWBasketball

Opening Tip

- The RMU women's basketball team returns home for some non-conference action after the earliest start to a conference season in program history last weekend. The Colonials kicked off Horizon League play with a road trip through Michigan that saw them take down Detroit Mercy before dropping a Saturday evening showdown in Rochester against Oakland.

- The Colonials currently sit a 1-3 overall and 1-1 in Horizon League action, the first time the program has been at or above .500 in conference play since joining the HL at the onset of last season.

- Two separate Colonials enjoyed career performances over the weekend in RMU's road swing through Michigan. Senior Esther Castedo poured in a career-high 23 points in RMU's win over Detroit Mercy while junior Ashya Klopfenstein led the Colonials in scoring in their loss at Oakland with 15, also a career best mark.

- Two more members of the RMU rookie class made their debuts over the weekend.  Danielle Vuletich grabbed a rebound in five minutes of action against Detroit Mercy, while Rebecca Dwomoh played six minutes against the Golden Grizzlies.  Six of the seven members of RMU's freshman class have now made their collegiate debuts this season.

- Led by the Charlie Buscaglia, in his sixth season as head coach of the Colonials in 2021-22 as well as his 19th year overall with the program, RMU returns three starters and five letterwinners from 2020-21.

- RMU saw three players score in double figures in a game for the first time this season against Oakland as Ashya Klopfenstein, Nina Augustin and Sol Castro finished with 15, 11 and 10, respectively.  The effort set a new career high for Klopfenstein and marks the first time she's hit double digits at RMU, while Castro has now done some three times in the first four games of the season.

- Returning as starters for the Colonials are fifth-year guard Nina Augustin, senior guard Esther Castedo and sophomore forward Sol Castro. The trio combined for 438 points and 177 rebounds during the abbreviated 2020-21 season.

- In a vote of Horizon League head coaches, RMU was picked to finish ninth in the league in 2021-22. Sophomore forward Sol Castro earned a spot on the 2021 Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team.

- Through four games, Castedo leads RMU in both scoring average (11.8) and is tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.0), while Castro sits right behind her at 9.5 PPG. Castro paced the Colonials in both categories during her rookie year in 2021, averaging  9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest, both of which led RMU. For her efforts she was named to the 2021 Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

- Fifth-year guard Nina Augustin is RMU's active leader in points with 721 and moved into 12th-place on the RMU All-Time career assists leader board with four earlier this season in RMU's 2021-22 opener.  She needs 25 more to crack the top-ten all-time, and has a shot to become the eighth player in school history to eclipse 300.

- Senior guard Esther Castedo is averaging 11.8 points per-game and is second on the team lead in defensive rebounds with 14. She averaged 9.2 points per game during the 2020-21 campaign while also pulling down an average of 3.2 rebounds per contest. She has appeared in 83 career games, including 26 starts, 13 of which came last season.

- Junior center Ashya Klopfenstein made her presence felt in a big way Saturday against Oakland, leading RMU with a career high 15 points and eight rebounds. She spent the 2020-21 season at Dawson Community College where she averaged 16.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the floor.

- The RMU freshman class features student-athletes from four different countries. Guard Rebecca Dwomoh is from London, England, while forward Phoenix Gedeon hails from Montreal, Quebec. Guard Alejandra Mastral is a native of Zaragoza, Spain, while the four rookies that are from the United States are from four different states, including California, Delaware, Ohio and Tennessee.

- The Colonials continue their Horizon League campaign next week when Green Bay and Milwaukee roll into the UPMC Events Center for a pair of games on Thursday, December 2 and Saturday, December 4.

MOREHEAD STATE LINKS

- Live Stats

- RMU Athletics Gameday App

CANISIUS LINKS

- Live Stats

- RMU Athletics Gameday App

The All-Time Series (Morehead State) – Wednesday marks the revival of a rivalry that has been dormant for nearly a decade, as RMU and Morehead State are set to square off for the first time since 2011 and just the third time in their history. RMU is 0-2 lifetime against the Eagles, dropping a 75-69 loss in Kentucky back on December 18, 2011 as well as a 58-57 defeat in Moon Township during the 2009-2010 campaign.  The Eagles sit at 1-2 on the year following losses to Michigan State and Marshall, and are coming off their first win of the year against Midway on Sunday.

The All-Time Series (Canisius) - The Colonials will see another opponent for the first time in their history Saturday when RMU heads north to Buffalo for their first ever meeting with the Canisius Golden Griffins.  At 1-3 on the season, Canisius is coming off their first win over the year against Colgate, 61-58, on Saturday.

Hard In The Paint - Despite the loss, RMU enjoyed a dominant effort inside against the Golden Grizzlies Saturday, outscoring Oakland 44-16 in the paint.  The Colonials have finished with at least 20 points in the paint in three of four games this season. Second-chance points have played a larger factor in the figure as well, with the Colonials owning a 36-27 advantage in offensive boards through four games.

Helper Helper – Fifth-year guard Nina Augustin gives the Colonials a solid distributor heading into her final year with the program. Following last weekend's games, Augustin has dished out 253 career assists in 115 games, an average of 2.20 per contest. She ranks 12th all-time in program history, and to crack the top 10 in her final season with the Colonials needs 25 more.  She is also looking to become the eighth player in school history to eclipse 300.

Free Is Me – In addition to her distribution skills, fifth-year guard Nina Augustin is nearly automatic when getting to the free-throw line. During her career, Augustin has converted 81.6 percent (142-for-174) of her attempts at the charity stripe, which ranks fourth in program history. The career school record is held by former guard Rebecca Navarro, who shot 84.8 percent (95-for-112) at the line from 2013 to 2017. Augustin, meanwhile, owns the RMU single-season record for free-throw percentage when she converted 89.4 percent (59-for-66) of her attempts during the 2019-20 campaign.

De La Sol – Despite a season both shortened and impacted by a global pandemic, forward Sol Castro shined in her first season with the Colonials in 2020-21, becoming the first freshman to lead RMU in scoring in almost 20 years. Castro averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, both team highs, and also recorded three double-doubles. One of three Colonials to start all 17 games last season, Castro reached double figures in scoring nine times, including a career-high 23 points in a 50-43 victory over Wright State (1/16/21) at the UPMC Events Center. In that same contest against the Raiders, Castro grabbed 11 boards, marking her first career double-double.

Making The Grade – RMU posted a 3.824 term grade point average (GPA) during the 2020-21 academic year and finished with the No. 3 ranking in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Division I Team Honor Roll. It marked the third consecutive year the Colonials finished third as well as the fifth straight year RMU finished in the top four. The Colonials are the only NCAA Division I school to rank in the top four in five consecutive years. Of RMU's three returning starters, guard Nina Augustin owns a 3.95 cumulative GPA as a finance major, guard Esther Castedo studies management and has maintained a 3.83 cumulative GPA and in her first academic year forward Sol Castro posted a 3.83 GPA while owning sport management as a major.

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