By Ray Porter Jr. for Urban Media Today
MOON TOWNSHIP, PA — After a sluggish start in the opening quarter, the Robert Morris Colonials stormed back over the final three periods to defeat the Wright State Raiders 60–52 on Senior Day at the UPMC Events Center.
Myriam Traore led the Colonials with 19 points, knocking down three key three-pointers to spark the comeback. Senior Aislin Malcolm contributed 14 points, also connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. Fellow senior Jada Lee controlled the glass with eight rebounds and matched the team-high with eight assists.
“We were a little too inconsistent for my liking,” said head coach Chandler McCabe. “First quarter we weren’t great and then second quarter we went out with a bang, although they went on a 6-2 run to close out the half. I got on them a little bit at halftime and then they were a little bit more consistent in the second half, so I’m proud of them with how they responded.”
Wright State was fueled early by Ellie Magestro-Kennedy, who led her team with 15 points and paced all scorers with five three-pointers. Two of those triples came during a decisive 12-0 Raiders run that helped build a commanding 21-7 first-quarter advantage.
But Robert Morris refused to fold. The Colonials clawed back from the deficit, tying the contest twice before halftime.
In the second half, RMU seized its first lead of the afternoon and never trailed again. A dominant 14-0 run allowed the Colonials to create separation and take control down the stretch.
“I would like to say there were some ‘x’s and o’s’ that were discussed in the locker room, but it was just getting on them, lighting a fire under them, and letting them know who they are — and they responded,” McCabe added.
With the victory, Robert Morris closes the regular season at 18-11 overall and 11-9 in Horizon League play, earning the No. 6 seed in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship, which tips off next week.
“The 14 young women we recruited — none of us had handouts in our lives. We worked our behinds off to be here, and we want it no other way,” McCabe said.
Freshman London Creach echoed the coach’s confidence heading into postseason play. “I think that the season was inconsistent, but the team that we were this week, we showed what type of team we can be in the tournament,” Creach said.
The last time the Colonials reached the NCAA Tournament was in 2019, when they defied expectations to win the Northeast Conference championship. Now, they hope to make a similar run in the Horizon League and earn another trip to the Big Dance.
“I don’t care if we have to play 10 games, if we have to go beat every team in the conference to win a championship, that’s going to be our mentality and hopefully we can come out ready to play,” McCabe said.
Notes: Following a quarterfinal upset victory by Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons over Green Bay Phoenix, the Robert Morris Colonials will now travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for a Horizon League Tournament showdown on Wednesday night. RMU, the tournament’s No. 6 seed, will face the No. 5-seeded Mastodons at the Gates Sports Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The matchup sets up a tightly contested battle between two teams separated by just one spot in the standings, with a berth in the next round of the Barbasol Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship on the line.
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