Central Conn. State (9-10 / 5-3) vs. Robert Morris (13-6 / 4-2)
Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) - Moon Township, Pa. 

Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team returns home to the Charles L. Sewall Center Thursday night to open a two-game homestand when it welcomes Central Conn. State for a 7:00 p.m. Northeast Conference game. The Colonials, coming off a 65-55 win against in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) in Loretto, Pa., enter the game with the Blue Devils winners of six of their last seven contests and eight of their last 10. RMU currently sits in fourth place in the league standings with a 4-2 NEC record, one spot ahead of CCSU, which owns a mark of 5-3. RMU closes out its homestand Saturday, Jan. 26, hosting St. Francis (N.Y.) for a 7:00 p.m. tilt. 

Quick Stat of the Night -  Since the calendar has turned to 2008, Robert Morris has struggled offensively, averaging just 66.7 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent (141-for-325) from the field, including 36.4 percent (39-for-107) from beyond the arc. Despite their woes, the Colonials are 5-1 in the new year due in large part to defense. RMU is holding its opponents so far in 2008 to an average of just 61.7 points per contest and a shooting percentage of just 43.9 percent (141-for-321), including 32.2 percent (39-for-121) from long range. Overall, Robert Morris currently ranks fourth in the NEC in both scoring defense (69.7 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.442).

Thursday's Opponent and the All-Time Series - Central Connecticut State and RMU will square off for the 22nd time Thursday, with the Blue Devils holding an 11-10 advantage in the all-time series. The two clubs split the 2006-07 season series, with Robert Morris garnering a 64-48 win over the Blue Devils at the Charles L. Sewall Center (1/6/07) before CCSU rebounded to post an 88-86 win (2/22/07) in New Britain, Conn. Robert Morris has won three straight against Central Connecticut State at the Sewall Center dating back to the 2004-05 campaign. In the last meeting between the two clubs, junior guard Jeremy Chappell led the way with a career-high 31 points, while guard Tristan Blackwood of the Blue Devils scored 40 points in the same game, hitting 10 three-pointers.

Probable Starters (Central Conn. State vs. Robert Morris)

Central Connecticut State (9-10 / 5-3 NEC)

Head Coach Mike Rice (First Season; Fordham '91) - Robert Morris University ushered in a new era of men's basketball April 26, 2007, as Mike Rice was named the seventh head coach in the 32-year Division I history of the program. He owns an overall record of 13-6, including a 4-2 mark in the Northeast Conference. Rice, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., has appeared in the NCAA or NIT Tournament seven times as an assistant coach.

Rice brings to Robert Morris a vast background in collegiate coaching, having served as an assistant coach at alma mater Fordham (1991-94), Marquette (1994-97), Niagara (1997-98), Chicago State (1998-2001), Saint Joseph's (2004-06) and Pittsburgh (2006-07).

At Pitt, Rice served as head coach Jamie Dixon's top assistant, helping lead the Panthers to a second-place finish during the Big East regular season and advancing to the Big East Tournament finals as well as the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Pitt finished with an overall record of 29-8 last year, and as the program's top recruiter, Rice was instrumental in attracting a recruiting class for 2007-08 that is ranked 16th by Scout, Inc., and 12th by HoopScoop.

Prior to his appointment with the Panthers, Rice spent two seasons with head coach Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pa., from 2004-06. While with the Hawks, Rice helped guide Saint Joseph's to a combined record of 43-26 (.623 winning percentage) and a pair of NIT bids. In 2004-05, the Hawks finished with an overall record of 24-12, advancing to the 2005 NIT final.

Scouting the Blue Devils - Central Connecticut State carries a five-game winning streak into its contest with RMU Thursday and owns an overall record of 9-10, including 5-3 in Northeast Conference play. The Blue Devils have been led by senior guard Tristan Blackwood, who ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Blackwood also averages a league-best 3.53 three-pointers a contest. The leading rebounder for CCSU has been freshman forward David Simmons, who grabs 5.0 rebounds a game but has played just 12 contests. Sophomore guard Joe Seymore and freshman forward Ken Horton each contribute averages of 4.7 caroms per game.

Central Connecticut State Head Coach - The 2007-08 campaign is the 12th season for Howie Dickenman (Central Connecticut State '70) as head coach of the Blue Devils, and he enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 187-155 (.547). Dickenman and the Blue Devils have appeared in five of the last nine NEC championship games, claiming three NEC Tournament championships in the process.

RMU's Last Game - Robert Morris ran its winning streak in road games to four, Jan. 19, with a 65-55 win over in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) at DeGol Arena. It marks the first time the Colonials have won four straight road games since the club posted five straight wins away from home during the 1993-94 campaign. The Red Flash held a 48-45 lead with 6:40 to go after a jumper from Steve Profeta, but back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst and junior guard Bateko Francisco gave the Colonials a 51-48 edge with 5:44 remaining. After a missed three-pointer by Chris Berry of the Red Flash, freshman guard Gary Wallace hit a runner in the lane to up Robert Morris to a 53-48 advantage. Bassirou Dieng closed the gap for SFU to 53-50 after a pair of free throws, but junior forward Ifeanyi Ehirim hit a layup to push the Colonial lead back to five, 55-50. Ehirim would go 1-for-2 at the free-throw line with 3:08 to play to give Robert Morris a 56-50 advantage, and senior forward A.J. Jackson hit a jumper in the paint at the 2:07 mark to give RMU a 58-51 lead. In the last minute the Colonials finished 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to seal the win, including a 4-for-4 performance by Langhurst. Robert Morris owned a 27-19 lead coming out of halftime, but Saint Francis (Pa.) used a 13-4 run to take a 32-31 lead with 15:01 remaining. The Red Flash eventually stretched their lead to 38-33 after a three-pointer from Cale Nelson, and the largest lead of the second half came with 11:01 to play when Chris Berry converted a layup to give SFU a 43-37 advantage. In the first half RMU used a 12-4 run in the last 6:19 of the stanza to take a 27-19 lead into the locker room. Ehirim started the surge with a dunk and a free throw thanks to a foul by Profeta, while senior guard Tony Lee scored four points. Jackson paced the Colonials with 14 points and six rebounds in the win, while Langhurst added 12 points and three assists. Jackson also posted two blocks and two steals. Saint Francis (Pa.) was led by Devin Sweetney, who scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Leading Scorers: Jackson (14), Langhurst (12), Chappell (7), Francisco (7)
Leading Rebounders: Jackson (6), Lee (5), Chappell (5), Ehirim (3)
Assists: Lee (3), Langhurst (3), Chappell (3), Three tied with ... 1

Saint Francis (Pa.) Game Notes - Robert Morris won its fourth straight at DeGol Arena and has now won six of its last seven meetings against Saint Francis (Pa.) to improve to 35-28 in the all-time series ... As a club the Colonials shot 42.6 percent (20-for-47) and held the Red Flash to a shooting percentage of 38.8 percent (19-for-49) ... It marks the fourth time in six games in the 2008 calendar year RMU has held its opponent under 60 points ... Robert Morris hit six of its 21 three-point attempts (28.6 percent), while Saint Francis (Pa.) converted just six of its 20 opportunities (30 percent) ... Senior guard Tony Lee had his double-figure scoring streak snapped at 11 ... The 19 minutes played for Lee were the fewest he's played as a member of the starting lineup since playing 19 @ Monmouth (2/5/05) during his freshman campaign ... Robert Morris converted 19 of its 21 free throws (90.5 percent) ... The Colonials held a 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers, while the two clubs tied in points in the paint, 22-22 ... The game featured 11 ties and four lead changes ... Saint Francis (Pa.) held a 33-30 edge in rebounding, including a 14-9 advantage in offensive caroms ... The Red Flash converted 11 of their first 16 shots (68.8 percent) in the second half but were just 8-for-33 (24.2 percent) the rest of the contest ... The Red Flash reserves outscored the Robert Morris bench, 26-19 ... RMU posted 12 assists on its 20 field goals.

Picking His Spots - Despite the RMU roster featuring a trio of 1,000-point scorers, junior guard Bateko Francisco is slowly emerging as a go-to option for the Colonials. Francisco enters Thursday's game against Central Connecticut State seemingly having found a groove, as he ranks sixth in the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage (.568) in league games. He's been even better in shooting from long range, as he paces the circuit in three-point field goal percentage (.588) against NEC foes. Francisco is also becoming a more reliable option in crunch time, as he enters Thursday's game having shot 60 percent (9-for-15) from the field in the last five minutes of games.

Sealing the Deal - Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst has struggled to find his shot in Northeast Conference games so far this season, as he enters Thursday's game against Central Connecticut State having converted just 31.4 percent (11-for-35) of his shots from the field, including an 8-for-25 (32 percent) performance from beyond the arc. Despite the struggles, Langhurst has been the player you want with the ball in his hands late in games. So far in league tilts, Langhurst is a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line, tied for tops in the league with CCSU's Tristan Blackwood (19-for-19). Even more amazing is that of Langhurst's 13 free throws in league games, 11 have come in the last five minutes of contests. 

Ski Lift - RMU got a big boost from its bench in a 65-55 victory @ Saint Francis (Pa.), as the reserves supplied 19 points and seven rebounds. More impressive is how well the players off the bench shot the ball, as the reserves combined to hit seven of their eight shots (87.5 percent). It was a big time to step up, as RMU's starting five shot just 33.3 percent (13-for-39) from the field on the game. The 19 points supplied by the Colonial bench against the Red Flash marked the most points in a Northeast Conference game this season as well as the most since contributing 21 points in a 111-107 overtime setback @ Seton Hall (11/18/07). Probably the most impressive aspect of RMU's bench scoring against Saint Francis (Pa.) was the play of junior forward Ifeanyi Ehirim. After not seeing any action in the previous six games, Ehirim played a season-high 13 minutes and finished with six points and three rebounds, converting both his field goals and going 2-for-3 at the free-throw line.

Concentration - Since returning from a two-game suspension in mid-December due to academic violations, junior guard Jeremy Chappell has struggled to find his shot. In the seven games prior to his suspension, Chappell shot 60.5 percent (49-for-81) from the field in averaging 16.9 points per game. In the 10 games since returning, Chappell has averaged 13.9 points a contest while shooting 47.8 percent (55-for-115) from the field. Even with the woes shooting, Chappell has been a solid ball handler in Northeast Conference games, dishing out 17 assists against just six turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.83 that ranks second in the NEC against league opposition.

Here & There - Tony Lee has been as consistent a player for Robert Morris in his final season of eligibility in 2007-08, as the senior guard enters Thursday's game against Central Connecticut State leading the Northeast Conference in both steals (3.11 per game) and assists (6.68 per game). Those per game averages also rank fourth and eighth, respectively, in Division I. Lee is the only player in the country to rank in the Top 10 in both categories. Along with junior guard Jeremy Chappell, the duo are the only pair of teammates in Division I to rank in the Top 10 in the country in steals, as Chappell's average of 2.6 per game currently ranks ninth. As a club, RMU's average of 9.9 steals per game ranks ninth in Division I.

Making It Count - Robert Morris has been even better in pressure situations at the free-throw line, as so far this season the Colonials are 68-for-91 (74.7 percent) from the charity stripe in the last five minutes and overtime of games. Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst has been in the situation the most so far in 2007-08, converting 20 of his 25 opportunities (80 percent). Senior forward A.J. Jackson, meanwhile, is 16-for-20 (.800) in crunch time, while senior guard Tony Lee has converted 15 of his 17 opportunities (88.2 percent). On his career, Jackson shoots 78.8 percent (78-for-99) from the charity stripe in the last five minutes and overtime.

Defense Wins Championships - Mike Rice has preached in his first season as head coach of Robert Morris that defense wins championships, and the numbers bear that out. Thanks to a 65-55 win @ Saint Francis (Pa.) (1/19/08), RMU improved to 8-1 this season and 67-20 (.770) over the last seven seasons when holding its opponents under 70 points.