Fairleigh Dickinson (4-12 / 3-1) vs. Robert Morris (8-8 / 3-1)
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 - 7:30 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 for a pair of Northeast Conference games, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. tip against Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday night. The Colonials salvaged a split in their swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., last week by earning a 67-63 victory @ St. Francis (N.Y.) (1/9/10) in their last contest. Senior guard Mezie Nwigwe paced RMU with 13 points in the win over the Terriers, while senior forward Dallas Green added 12 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks. Robert Morris has won 14 straight games at home against NEC opponents entering Thursday's tilt, including 11 regular-season contests and three games in the 2009 NEC Tournament. The Colonials conclude their homestand Saturday, Jan. 16, when they welcome Monmouth to the Sewall Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.

Quick Stat of the Night - In RMU's 67-63 win @ St. Francis (N.Y.) (1/9/10), the Colonials were able to pull out the victory due in large part to converting at the free-throw line. Robert Morris finished 24-for-33 (72.7 percent) at the charity stripe against the Terriers, including a 13-for-16 (.813) showing in the final five minutes that helped seal the win. RMU has seemingly turned a corner in regard to converting at the stripe in recent weeks. In the last six games, the Colonials have shot 71.4 percent (120-for-168) at the free-throw line, compared to just 63.7 percent (128-for-201) in the first 10 games. The surge has Robert Morris ranked fifth in the Northeast Conference in free-throw shooting percentage at 67.2 percent (248-for-369).

Thursday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Thursday's game between Robert Morris and Fairleigh Dickinson marks the 60th meeting between the two programs, with the Knights holding a 30-29 (.508) advantage in the all-time series. The Colonials have won three straight and four of the last five games over FDU. In the only meeting between last season, RMU garnered a 74-40 win @ Stratis Arena (1/24/09) in Teaneck, N.J. In that game forward Rob Robinson hit his first six shots from the field and scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the first half. Robinson finished 10-for-13 (.769) shooting on the night.

Head Coach Mike Rice (Third Season; Fordham '91) - Simply put, Mike Rice has put the men's basketball program at Robert Morris University back on the map. Just 22 months after being named the seventh head coach in the 34-year history of the program, Rice led the Colonials to their sixth Northeast Conference Tournament championship with a thrilling 48-46 win over Mount St. Mary's March 11, 2009, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The win helped RMU earn its sixth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1992.

In three years as a head coach, Rice has been at the helm of a program that has claimed back-to-back NEC regular-season championships, its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 2008 and the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Along the way, a total of 16 school records have either been tied or broken under Rice's watch, including victories (26 in 2007-08), NEC wins (16 in 2007-08) and consecutive victories (14 in 2007-08). Robert Morris also posted 15 straight wins in NEC road games over the course of the last two seasons, a conference record.

The two-time reigning Northeast Conference Jim Phelan Coach of the Year, Rice owns an overall record of 58-27 (.682), including a mark 34-6 (.850) against league foes. He signed a three-year contract extension with Robert Morris in April of 2009, meaning he will lead the Colonials through the 2015-16 season.

Rice was named the seventh head coach in the 34-year Division I history of the program at a press conference in the Sewall Center on RMU's Moon Township Campus April 26, 2007. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rice has appeared in the NCAA or NIT Tournament seven times as an assistant coach and twice as the head coach at Robert Morris.

Rice brought to RMU 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).

A 1991 graduate of Fordham, Rice was a three-year starter for the Rams at guard. He appeared in 117 career games, serving as team captain of a 1990-91 squad that posted an overall record of 25-8. That season Fordham earned an appearance in the NIT. Rice and his wife, Kerry, have two children, son Michael and daughter Katie, and reside in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Scouting the Knights - Fairleigh Dickinson carries a three-game winning streak into its game Thursday against the Colonials and owns an overall record of 4-12, including 3-1 in the Northeast Conference. The Knights are coming off an 83-74 victory over Central Connecticut State (1/9/10) in which senior guard Sean Baptiste scored 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Baptiste leads FDU in scoring by averaging 14.8 points per game and is one of four Knights scoring in double figures. Junior guard Mike Scott averages 11.9 points a contest, senior forward Alvin Mofunanya produces averages of 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds a game, while junior guard Terence Grier scores at a 10.4 points per game clip.

Fairleigh Dickinson Interim Head Coach - Greg Vetrone (C.W. Post '86) was named the interim head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson the summer of 2009. He took over the reigns of the Knights after serving as an assistant coach with FDU during the 2008-09 campaign. In his first head coaching job, Vetrone owns an overall record of 4-12 (.250). Vetrone has had assistant coaching stops at C.W. Post, California-Irvine and UNLV.

RMU's Last Game - Robert Morris earned a split in its swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., Jan. 9, by holding on for a 67-63 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) at the Pope Center. Holding a 21-point lead coming out of halftime, 41-20, the Colonials converted just five field goals in the second half and withstood a furious comeback by St. Francis (N.Y.) due in large part to solid free-throw shooting. Robert Morris converted 16 of its 24 attempts (66.7 percent) at the charity stripe after intermission, including eight in the final 1:02 of action that helped seal the win. The Colonials never trailed in the contest, sprinting to leads of 9-2 and 17-8 in the first 10 minutes of play. Senior guard Mezie Nwigwe and freshman forward Lijah Thompson were each key components during the opening salvo for RMU, as each scored six points. RMU took its first double-digit lead, 20-10, at the 9:38 mark of the first half when freshman guard Karon Abraham buried a three-pointer. Abraham's trifecta spearheaded a 17-4 surge by the Colonials that allowed them to open up a 20-point advantage, 34-14, with just 2:14 to play before the break. Five different players scored for Robert Morris during the run, including six straight points from senior forward Rob Robinson and a pair of dunks by senior forward Dallas Green. The lead eventually swelled to 41-20 at the break for the Colonials. The Terriers began to chip away after intermission, opening the second half on a 13-3 run to almost cut its deficit in half, 44-33, with less than seven minutes gone by. Ricky Cadell was the main offensive force for St. Francis (N.Y.), scoring 10 points. Green helped slow the surge by the Terriers with his third dunk of the game to give RMU a 46-33 lead, but three-pointers by Cadell and Kayode Ayeni trimmed the deficit into single digits for St. Francis (N.Y.), 48-39, with 11:11 to play. Robert Morris was able to keep the Terriers at bay by converting at the free-throw line, but Cadell would cap an 11-4 St. Francis (N.Y.) run with a three-pointer and a layup to trim RMU's lead to just one, 58-57, with 2:12 remaining. Stefan Perunicic had an opportunity to give the Terriers their first lead of the game with just 1:22 left on the clock, but he hit the back end of a pair of free throws to knot the game for the first time, 58-58.

Leading Scorers: Nwigwe (13), Green (12), Robinson (9), Abraham (9)
Leading Rebounders: Robinson (9), Green (4), Wallace (4), Johnson (4)
Assists: Robinson (5), Green (2), Jones (2), Abraham (2)

St. Francis (N.Y.) Game Notes - Robert Morris posted its third straight win over the Terriers and increased its advantage in the all-time series to 36-23 (.610) ... RMU shot 55.6 percent (15-for-27) in the first half in taking a 41-20 halftime lead but converted just five field goals after the break ... The Colonials were 5-for-19 shooting (26.3 percent) in the second half to finish at 43.5 percent (20-for-46) overall ... St. Francis (N.Y.) converted 38.3 percent (18-for-47) of its shots from the field ... Robert Morris held a 35-29 edge in rebounding ... RMU posted 13 assists on its 20 field goals.

Switch the Calendar - Consider Rob Robinson a slow starter. The senior forward has averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 58 percent (29-for-50) from the field in four games since the calendar switched to the year 2010. In the first 12 games of the year, Robinson averaged just 7.9 points and 5.2 boards while shooting 42.9 percent (39-for-91) from the floor. It's a familiar trend for Robinson, as last season he averaged 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent (41-for-82) in the first 13 games, then posted averages of 12.2 points and 6.3 rebounds while converting 52.4 percent (110-for-210) of his shots after the calendar switched to 2009. In the first 13 games last year, the Colonials posted a record of 6-7. Afterward? RMU was 18-4.

Getting Comfortable - Robert Morris may have found a consistent offensive presence in Karon Abraham, as the freshman guard continues to produce. Over his last nine games, Abraham is averaging 14.7 points per contest while shooting 53.8 percent (28-for-52) from beyond the arc and 88.9 percent (32-for-36) at the free-throw line. Abraham enters Thursday's game against Fairleigh Dickinson leading Robert Morris in scoring at 11.9 points per contest and owns a team-high 39 three-pointers. Abraham's scoring average, three-point field goal shooting percentage (.488) and average of 2.44 three-pointers per contest are the highest marks by a freshman in the Northeast Conference.

Board Stiff - Over the course of the last five games, Robert Morris has done a solid job on the glass. The Colonials have averaged 38.6 rebounds per contest while holding opponents to an average of just 31.2 boards a game. In the last five games, RMU has established season highs for both rebounds and offensive rebounds. Robert Morris posted a season-high 44 caroms in its 72-67 win @ Youngstown State (12/30/09), while its 18 offensive boards in an 81-79 victory over Ohio (1/2/10) marked a season high.

Three's Company - Despite the loss of former guard Jeremy Chappell (2005-09), who finished his career as RMU's all-time leader in three-point field goals with 243, the Colonials continue to convert from downtown. On the 2009-10 campaign, Robert Morris is averaging 6.63 three-pointers per contest, which ranks fifth in the Northeast Conference. The top shooter for the Colonials has been freshman guard Karon Abraham, who leads the NEC in three-point field goal percentage (.488) and owns 39 three-pointers. Abraham is just 18 three-pointers shy of establishing a new freshman record in the category. The current record for three-pointers by a freshman is former Colonial guard Bubba Donnelly (1991-95), who buried 56 trifectas in his first season in 1991-92.

Toe the Line - While freshman Karon Abraham is developing into a solid three-point shooter for the Colonials, an area he also excels is getting to the free-throw line. Abraham leads Robert Morris in both free throws (48) and free throw attempts (54). In the 34-year history of the RMU program, no freshman has ever led the Colonials in either free throws or free throws attempted.

Green Day - While freshman guard Karon Abraham has proven to be a capable free-throw shooter, senior Dallas Green has taken a more aggressive role in getting to the line this season. After visiting the charity stripe a total of 89 times over 69 games in the previous two seasons (1.29 attempts per game), Green is 34-for-43 (2.69 attempts per game) from the free-throw line this season, a success rate of 79.1 percent that ranks eighth in the Northeast Conference. Abraham is currently the top free-throw shooter in the league at 88.9 percent.