RMU Returns Home For Nationally Televised Tilt

Men's Basketball | 1/14/2015 9:30:00 PM

GAME 17
St. Francis Brooklyn (9-8, 3-1) vs. Robert Morris (7-9, 3-1)
Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 • 9:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.

TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) & Steve Donahue (color)
Radio: 970 ESPN AM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits

- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a two-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center Friday with a 9:00 p.m. tip against St. Francis Brooklyn in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU.

- RMU wrapped up a three-game road trip with a 72-60 victory @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15) as senior forward Lucky Jones paced the Colonials with 18 points while also registering five rebounds and four assists. Jones shot 7-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, while going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. Robert Morris went 2-1 (.667) during its three-game road swing.

- Also scoring in double figures for RMU in its win over the Blue Devils was freshman forward Elijah Minnie and junior guard Rodney Pryor. Minnie contributed a career-high 13 points with a perfect shooting night, hitting all five of his shots from the floor, including both of his attempts from deep, while hitting his only free-throw attempt. Pryor chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.

- RMU posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season by preceding its win @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15) with a 77-73 victory @ Wagner (1/8/15). Senior forward Lucky Jones finished 6-for-6 at the free-throw line in the final 31.8 seconds to help seal the victory and overall was 12-for-14 at the charity stripe. Jones notched his first double-double of the 2014-15 campaign and eighth of his career against the Seahawks with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

- Junior guard Rodney Pryor tied for team-high honors in scoring in RMU's victory @ Wagner (1/8/15) with 18 points, while freshman guard Marcquise Reed contributed 15 points.

- Senior forward Lucky Jones, RMU's active career leader in both points (1,385) and rebounds (750), is just two boards shy of becoming the program's all-time leading rebounder. The career record of 751 is held by former forward Anthony Dickens (1985-90) and was tied by former guard Tony Lee (2004-08).

- The Colonials enter Friday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn having won three straight at the Charles L. Sewall Center and are averaging 76.3 points per game over that span while shooting 51.4 percent (74-for-144) from the field. Junior guard Rodney Pryor has averaged 18.7 points and 4.3 rebounds during the winning streak while shooting 70.4 percent (19-for-27) from the field, including 66.7 percent (8-for-12) from deep. Defensively over that stretch, Robert Morris is allowing just 61.7 points per contest while posting a field goal defense of .320 (56-for-175), including .279 (24-for-86) from downtown.

- Senior forward Lucky Jones, who also owns career totals of 163 assists and 151 steals, is one of just three players in Northeast Conference history to eclipse career totals of 1,300 points, 700 rebounds, 150 assists and 150 steals. He joins former RMU guard Tony Lee (2004-08) and former LIU Brooklyn forward Jamal Olasewere (2009-13).

Central Connecticut State Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 19-15 (.559) in the all-time series against CCSU, and the Colonials have won five of the last six meetings at Detrick Gymnasium ... Junior forward Lionel Gomis became the ninth different member of the Colonials in 2014-15 to earn a starting assignment by starting at forward against Central Connecticut State ... Junior forward Aaron Tate tied a season-high with seven rebounds ... Freshman guard Marcquise Reed finished with nine points against CCSU, snapping a streak of eight consecutive double-figure scoring games ... The Colonials outscored the Blue Devils, 40-16, in points in the paint and held a 19-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

On The Offensive - Robert Morris closed out a three-game road swing with a 72-60 win @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15) by shooting 52.8 percent (28-for-53) from the field. In five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 27-4 (.871) when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including a perfect mark of 20-0 against NEC opponents. Broken down against league foes, Robert Morris is 18-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in the NEC Tournament when converting at least half of its shots. Against non-conference opponents under Toole, RMU is 7-4 (.636) when turning the trick, including 1-1 (.500) in 2014-15.

Groovy - The Colonials enter Friday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn having settled into a groove offensively in recent weeks. RMU, which leads the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage against league opposition at 49.5 percent (95-for-192), has shot 46.3 percent (144-for-311) from the field in its last six games. Robert Morris carries a three-game winning streak at the Charles L. Sewall Center into its tilt against the Terriers Friday, and over that span is converting 51.4 percent (74-for-144) from the field, including 44.7 percent (17-of-38) of its attempts from international waters.

Minnie Me - Freshman forward Elijah Minnie produced a perfect shooting night in a 72-60 victory @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15), finishing 5-for-5 from the field, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, while hitting his only attempt at the free-throw line in contributing a career-high 13 points. Minnie, who leads the Northeast Conference against league foes in field goal percentage at 87.5 percent (14-for-16), enters Friday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds over his last nine games while shooting 64.1 percent (25-for-39) from the field, including 50 percent (4-for-8) from beyond the arc.

Combos - Looking for RMU's best combination, head coach Andrew Toole hasn't been afraid to shuffle his lineup. Toole employed his eighth different starting lineup in a stretch of 12 games in RMU's 72-60 victory @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15) that wrapped up a three-game road trip, as junior forward Lionel Gomis earned his first collegiate start while senior guard David Appolon and freshman forward Elijah Minnie returned to the starting five. Toole has used nine different starting lineups through 16 games this season and in five years at the helm of the program has used a total of 42 different starting combinations.

Point Break - One could say RMU's success so far this season has been in direct correlation with the way sophomore guard Kavon Stewart has directed the offense at the point. In the six victories Stewart has played this year, he owns 37 assists (6.17 per game) compared to just 10 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.70. Stewart helped Robert Morris conclude a three-game road swing with a 72-60 victory @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15) by scoring eight points while dishing out four assists against just one turnover.

Drop The Leash - Freshman guard Marcquise Reed has settled into his role as a scorer for the Colonials in his rookie campaign. A three-time Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week, Reed enters Friday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn averaging 16.1 points per contest over his last nine games while shooting 59.1 percent (52-for-88) from the field, including 40 percent (10-for-25) from beyond the arc. Reed ranks ninth in the Northeast Conference in scoring at 13.6 points per game while also placing second in the circuit in steals at 2.13 thefts per contest and fourth in field goal percentage (.520).

Climbing The Charts - Senior forward Lucky Jones led the Colonials in a 72-60 victory @ Central Connecticut State (1/10/15) that wrapped up a three-game road trip with 18 points. The performance against the Blue Devils helped Jones push his career total for double-figure scoring games to 74, which is tied for ninth all-time in program history with former guard Forest Grant (1980-84). Jones enters Friday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn four double-figure scoring games away from eighth place, a spot that is currently held by former guard Maurice Carter (2001-05) with 78.

Freebies - A big reason forward Lucky Jones has an opportunity to finish as one of the top five scorers in program history is due to his ability to get to the charity stripe. In 15 games this season, Jones has converted 59 of his 76 attempts at the free-throw line, a success rate of 77.6 percent that ranks seventh in the Northeast Conference. Jones owns a career percentage of 79.6 percent (395-for-496) at the chalk, which ranks just outside the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris. Jones has a shot of becoming just the second player in school history to convert at least 400 career free throws. The school record of 495 is held by former point guard Velton Jones (2008-13).

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