Men's Basketball 1/9/2015 3:00:00 PM

Road Trip Concludes Saturday in Nutmeg State

GAME 16
Robert Morris (6-9, 2-1) @ Central Connecticut State (2-14, 0-3)
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015 • 3:30 p.m.
Detrick Gymnasium (2,654) • New Britain, Conn.

Radio: 970 ESPN AM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: CCSUBlueDevils.com • NECFrontRow.com
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits

- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes a three-game road trip Saturday in New Britain, Conn., with a 3:30 p.m. tip against Central Connecticut State at Detrick Gymnasium.

- The Colonials are coming off a 77-73 victory @ Wagner (1/8/15), which snapped a five-game road losing streak. 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 reached double figures for the eighth consecutive game with 15 points.

- The Colonials opened their three-game road swing @ Saint Francis U. (1/5/15) with a 66-59 setback. Freshman guard Marcquise Reed led all scorers in the game with 22 points, finishing 8-for-9 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Junior forward Stephan Bennett tied a season high with 10 points off the bench.

- Junior guard Rodney Pryor is averaging 20.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in RMU's six victories while shooting 73.6 percent (39-for-53) from the field, including 75 percent (21-for-28) from beyond the arc, and 74.2 percent (23-for-31) at the free-throw line.

- Senior forward Lucky Jones, RMU's active career leader in both points (1,367) and rebounds (745), is just seven 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).

- Senior forward Lucky Jones recorded an assist and a pair of steals in a 77-73 win @ Wagner (1/8/15) and now owns career totals of 159 assists and 151 steals. He 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.

- RMU opened its 2014-15 Northeast Conference slate with a 70-45 victory over Mount St. Mary's (1/3/15), the third straight victory for the Colonials at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Senior forward Lucky Jones paced Robert Morris with 17 points and eight rebounds and was one of four players to score in double figures in the win. Junior guard Rodney Pryor and freshman guard Marcquise Reed each scored 12 points, while freshman forward Elijah Minnie contributed 10 points off the bench.

- The Colonials return home to the Charles L. Sewall Center after taking on the Blue Devils Saturday, hosting St. Francis Brooklyn Friday, Jan. 16, in a 9:00 p.m. tip in a contest that will be televised live on ESPNU. Robert Morris also hosts Sacred Heart as part of its homestand Sunday, Jan. 18, at 1:00 p.m.

Wagner Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 39-25 (.609) in the all-time series against Wagner and has won four of the last five meetings ... Senior forward Lucky Jones established season highs in both free throws (12) and free-throw attempts (14) ... Jones earned his 85th career start against the Seahawks, which is tied for 13th all-time in program history ... The Seahawks suffered 17 turnovers, the third time in the last four games an RMU opponent has finished with at least 17 turnovers ... The Colonials finished with 15 turnovers and 12 turnovers, the first time posting a positive assist-to-turnover ratio since a 75-59 victory over Duquesne (12/13/14) ... RMU shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the field in the first half but was just 6-for-19 (.316) in the second half ... In the final 17:16 of the contest, Robert Morris shot just 3-for-15 (.200) from the field but was 21-for-28 (.750) at the free-throw line.

Free Is For Me - Robert Morris was able to seal its 77-73 victory @ Wagner (1/8/15) and snap a five-game road losing streak by converting at the free-throw line. The Colonials converted 27 of their 35 attempts (77.1 percent) at the charity stripe against the Seahawks, including 21-for-28 (75 percent) in the second half. RMU improved to 3-1 (.750) this season when visiting the chalk at least 30 times in a game and in five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole own a record of 18-4 (.818) when turning the trick. Robert Morris enters Saturday's game @ Central Connecticut State ranked third in the Northeast Conference in free-throw percentage at 70 percent (243-for-347) and has shot 74.7 percent (59-for-79) at the stripe in three league games, which ranks second in the circuit.

Fearless Freshmen - Rookies Marcquise Reed and Elijah Minnie have each gotten off to solid starts in the Northeast Conference, especially shooting the ball. Through the first three league games of the season, the duo has combined to average 23.3 points per game while shooting 72.2 percent (26-for-36) from the field. Minnie enters Saturday's game @ Central Connecticut State leading the NEC against league foes in field goal percentage at 81.8 percent (9-for-11), while Reed ranks second at 68 percent (17-for-25).

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 has reached double figures in each of his last eight games entering Saturday's game @ Central Connecticut State. Over the last eight contests, Reed is averaging 17.0 points per contest while shooting 61.7 percent (50-for-81) from the field, including 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from beyond the arc. Reed ranks eighth in the Northeast Conference in scoring at 13.9 points per game while also placing second in the circuit in steals at 2.13 thefts per contest and third in field goal percentage (.531).

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 five victories Stewart has played this year, he owns 33 assists (6.60 per game) compared to just nine turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.67. Stewart helped Robert Morris snap a five-game road losing streak in a 77-73 victory @ Wagner (1/8/15) by contributing five assists without suffering a turnover. He also scored six points in the win over the Seahawks while tying a career high with four steals.

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 14 games this season, Jones has converted 57 of his 74 attempts at the free-throw line, a success rate of 75 percent that ranks seventh in the Northeast Conference. Jones owns a career percentage of 79.6 percent (393-for-494), 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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Players Mentioned

#22 Lucky Jones: G/F; 6' 6"; Senior; Sr.

#3 Kavon Stewart: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore; So.

#45 Stephan Bennett: F; 6' 9"; Junior; Jr.

#2 Marcquise Reed: G; 6' 3"; Freshman; Fr.

#11 Rodney Pryor: G; 6' 5"; Junior; Jr.

#5 Elijah Minnie: F; 6' 8"; Freshman; Fr.

Players Mentioned

#22 Lucky Jones
: 6' 6"; Senior; Sr.
: G/F

#3 Kavon Stewart
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; So.
: G

#45 Stephan Bennett
: 6' 9"; Junior; Jr.
: F

#2 Marcquise Reed
: 6' 3"; Freshman; Fr.
: G

#11 Rodney Pryor
: 6' 5"; Junior; Jr.
: G

#5 Elijah Minnie
: 6' 8"; Freshman; Fr.
: F