2005-2006 News

Latest News

Road to the CCAC Championship Ends at SXU for the Lady Eagles

#1-Seed defeats RMC 72-48!

Chicago, IL - After an inspired victory against St. Francis on Tuesday, Coach Renee Bostic and the Lady Eagles advanced to the Semifinals of the CCAC Playoffs where the faced the #1-seeded team in the conference--ranked #22 in the nation--St. Xavier University.

In the second game of the CCAC Playoffs, the Lady Eagles traveled to the Shannon Center at St. Xavier University where they built a 16-7 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. The Eagles maintained the lead for the next several minutes of play before the Cougars went on a run to tie the game at 16. This would be the only time the game was tied. By the end of the half, the Eagles were down 29-23.

The Cougars continued the pressure in the second half, outscoring the Eagles 43-25. In the end, St. Xavier used their ability to anticipate the pass, leading to 27 points scored off RMC turnovers. The Cougars also dominated inside, outscoring RMC in the paint 44-30.

The Eagles had three women score in double digit. Junior Shanice White (Guard, 5'6, Marshall HS, Chicago, IL) finished with 13 points, Junior Shenita McPhatter (Forward, 5'9, Great Neck South HS, Great Neck, NY) had 10, and Latoya Jackson (Junior, Forward, Kenwood Academy, Chicago, IL) achieved with a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

With this win, St. Xavier University will host the #2 seeded Olivet Nazarene University for the CCAC Championship game at the Shannon Center on Saturday, March 4 at 1:00 PM.

Coach Bostic's first season ends on a down note, but the Lady Eagles improved greatly in her maiden champaign, winning fourteen after notching only a pair of wins last season.

Lady Eagles earn CCAC Tourney road win 72-59 over USF!

Shenita McPhatter scores 19, leads four in double figures as RMC advances to semi-finals versus St. Xavier!

Joliet, IL - The Robert Morris Women's Basketball team defeated the University of St. Francis (IL) 72-59 in the quarterfinals of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at the USF Recreation Center in Joliet, IL, Tuesday night.

The win moves the Eagles into the semi-finals against St. Xavier University on Thursday at 7:30 PM. That game will be played at the Shannon Center on the southwest side campus of SXU.

Shenita McPhatter (Junior, Forward, 5'9, Great Neck, NY) led a quartet of Eagles in doulble figures with 19 points.

More game details will be posted later today.

CCAC All-Conference

Team Announced!

Two Eagles make First Team, Two Honorable Mentions!

The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference named Robert Morris Guard Shenita McPhatter (Junior, Greatneck, NY) -pictured left-and Guard Shanice White (Junior, Chicago, IL) to the 2005-2006 CCAC All-Conference First Team!

Sheenita Bass (Guard, Senior, Chicago, IL) and Latoya Jackson (Forward, Junior, Chicago, IL) both earned spots on the CCAC Honorable Mention team.

Congratulations Lady Eagles on a successful season!

Lady Eagles grounded by Wisconsin-Parkside, 75-63!

Four-game winning streak ends!

Sheenita Bass (#31, left) hits 21 in loss to NCAA D2 Rangers!

Kenosha, WI - The Robert Morris Women's Basketball team had its wings clipped on the road Tuesday evening when the Lady Rangers of University of Wisconsin-Parkside held off a second-half rush by the Eagles to prevail 75-63 victory in DeSimone Gymnasium on the UW-Parkside campus in Kenosha, WI. The NCAA Division II Rangers UW-Parkside improved to 3-6 overall while the Eagles dropped to 7-6.

The loss put an end to the Eagles' four-game winning streak, the longest in three seasons. Senior Guard Sheenita Bass (5'6, Proviso West HS, Chicago, IL) coninued the sterling all-around play that has keyed the Eagles' streak, scoring 21 points while adding four rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Bass, one of the top free throw shooters in the NAIA, made 11 of 12 from the charity stripe. Shanice White (Junior, Guard, 5'5, Marshall HS, Chicago, IL) added 12 points. Junior Forward Samantha Lilliard (5'10, Kankakee HS, Kankakee, IL) notched ten points with five rebounds.

The Rangers led by 11 points twice in the first half and led 38-31 at intermission. The Eagles chopped the advantage down to two at 51-49 with 10:18 to go. The teams traded baskets for nearly five minutes before the UW-Parkside pulled away.

UW-Parkside shot 54 percent from the floor and 66 percent from behind the arc, but struggled at the free throw line, converting on 15 of 29 attempts. The Rangers' Ashley Ferguson notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while her teammate Mackenzie Heise led all scorers with 26 points.

Robert Morris returns to action for a rare Sunday afternoon contest on December 18 when they face another NCAA D2 opponent. St. Joseph's College from Rensselaer, IN, comes calling at 2:00 PM in the Gentile Center. Click on the link above for directions to the GC. Admission is, as for all Robert Morris home athletic games, free.

Lady Eagles defeat Iowa Wesleyan, 70-58!

Win is fourth in a row for Robert Morris!

Chicago, IL - The Robert Morris Women's Basketball team put together another solid defensive effort on Friday evening at the Gentile Center and came away with an impressive win over NAIA Region VII rival Iowa Wesleyan College, 70-58. The win was the Eagles fourth in a row and lifted their season record to 7-5. The loss left the Tigers with the same season mark.

"We came into this game with the goal of holding them under sixty points," said Eagles Head Coach Renee Bostic. They're a solid team and a contender in the Midwest Classic Conference, so we knew we had to have a good defensive effort if we wanted to have a chance."

That defense held IWC scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest, while the Eagles built a 6-0 lead. The Tigers managed to cut a pair off that lead by the end of the half when RMC held a 25-21 edge. It was in the second half that the Eagles defense really stepped up. "We went with our full-court all-out player-to-player defense and it paid off," Coach Bostic said. That defense led to a 45-37 second-half scoring edge that resulted in the final twelve-point win.

Balanced scoring reflected the same trend seen in the earlier games of the Eagles' winning streak, with three players reaching double figures. Top scoring honors with 15 went to Junior Forward Samantha Lilliard (5'10, Kankakee HS, Kankakee, IL, pictured at right). Senior Sheenita Bass (Guard, 5'6, Proviso West HS, Chicago, IL) followed up her big game against Illinois-Springfield with 14. Tonya Jackson (Junior, Forward, 5'10, Kenwood Academy, Chicago, IL) continued with her consistant play and netted 13.

"We're beginning to understand how good we can be," Coach Bostic said. "As long as we play hard and push the ball on offense, we're going to see good results."

The Eagles put their winning streak on the line on the home floor of NCAA Division II foe University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Tuesday, December 13. They next take to their home court with a rare Sunday afternoon game on December 18 against another NCAA Division II rival, St. Joseph's College (IN). Tip-off for that contest is 2:00 PM. Admission is free.

Lady Eagles beat UIS 74-60!

Come-from-behind win keyed by 21 of 24 night at FT Line!

Chicago, IL - The Robert Morris Women's Basketball team moved above the .500 mark for the season with a 74-60 win over the Lady Prairie Stars of the University of Illinois at Springfield on Monday evening at the Gentile Center in Chicago, IL. The win--the Eagles third in a row--put their season record at 6-5. The Prairie Stars droppped to 1-9.

Dead accurate shooting from the free throw line was the key to the win as the Eagles dropped in 21 of their 24 attempts, including a perfect 11 for 11 from Senior Guard Sheenita Bass (5'6, Proviso West HS, Chicago, IL, pictured left). Bass added three from the field to lead the Eagles in scoring with 17, while also finding her teammates for seven assists and picking up a pair of steals.

The Prairie Stars started the game witha rush, building a 12-4 lead behind three-pointers from Jasmine Lassare and Nicole White. The Eagles knuckled down on defense and, with 4:41 remaining in the opening stanza, took their first lead at 23-22 after a pair of inside buckets by Sophomore Cordney Smith (Center, 6'3, Larkin HS, Elgin, IL). After that, the teams traded short runs until a four-point spurt at the end of the half BY UIS left Robert Morris trailing 31-28.

The second half told a different story as the Eagles outscored UIS 46-29. Keisha Greathouse keyed the effort on defense as she block four shots and grabbed seven rebounds. The 6'1 sophomore center from North Chicago, IL, also tipped in six points, all in the second half.

The Eagles' trio of junior forwards continued their balanced scoring. Shenita McPhatter (5'9, Great Neck HS, Great Neck, NY) and Latoya Jackson (5'10, Kenwood Acadamy, Chicago, IL) each netted a dozen, while Samantha Lilliard (5'10, Kankakee HS, Kanakee, IL) added 11. The Eagles forced the Prairie Stars into 25 turnovers and made 13 steals. UIS held the edge in rebounding at 40-36 with their 6'0 Junior Center Dominique Moses grabbing 17 for game high honors.

It was that edge in rebounding--including 19 offensive rebounds, 11 by Moses alone--coupled with some untimely Eagle turnovers that allowed UIS to move within one at 53-52. But the Eagles turned up the heat on defense and a sucession of steals and tipped passes by Bass, Jackson, and Freshman Guard Christina Kelly (5'9, Manhattan Center HS, The Bronx, NY) led to a 19-7 run that closed out the win.

"I'd like to see us a better job of making contact and blocking out," Head Coach Renee Bostic said. "We gave up too many second chance points. But we did a great job from the free throw line. We just need to be more ready to make a consistant effort throughout the entire game."

You can access the webcast replay through this link: Illinois-Springfield vs RMC Lady Eagles Replay!

Chicago, IL - The Robert Morris Women's Basketball won its second game in a row with a 70-50 win over the DuHawks of Loras College (IA) Saturday afternoon at the Gentile Center in Chicago, IL.

The win evened the Eagles' season record at 5-5 and continued their progress under first-year head Coach Renee Bostic. Balanced scoring and pressure defense were keys to the win.

"We're trying to get the team to play uptempo at both ends of the floor," Coach Bostic said. "We think that a fast-paced game plays to our strengths."

Junior Forward Latoya Jackson (5'10, Kenwood Academy, Chicago, IL, pictured above) set that pace in scoring. She tallied 15 while adding seven rebounds. She was backed up by fellow Junior Samantha Lilliard (Forward, 5'10, Kankakee HS, Kankakee, IL), who put up 12.

The Eagles will go for another win on Monday when they host the Prairie Stars of the University of Illinois-Springfield. Game time is 7:00 PM at the Gentile Center. For directions to the Gentile Center click HERE.

If you can't make it to the Gentile Center in person, you can follow the game via webcast with all the action called by Tom Wuestenfeld, the Voice of Robert Morris Athletics. You can access the webcast through this link: Live Webcast!