GAME 18
Mount St. Mary's (6-11, 3-1 NEC) vs. RMU (3-14, 1-3 NEC)
Thursday, January 14, 2016 • 7:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Radio:  ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: NECFrontRow.com • RMUColonials.com
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 Thursday when it welcomes Mount St. Mary's for a 7:00 p.m. Northeast Conference tilt.
 
- The Colonials split their annual swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., dropping a 56-49 decision to St. Francis Brooklyn (1/9/16) at the Pope P.E. Center in their last contest. Senior guard Rodney Pryor scored a game-high 14 points and also grabbed nine rebounds.
 
- RMU lost for just the third in 45 games under head coach Andrew Toole when allowing less than 60 points in a game with its setback @ St. Francis Brooklyn (1/9/16), falling to 42-3 (.933).
 
- Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie contributed 11 points and a pair of blocks @ St. Francis Brooklyn (1/9/16) and over his last eight games is averaging 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest.
 
- Junior guard Kavon Stewart is averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.4 steals in five games at the Charles L. Sewall Center so far this season while shooting 47.7 percent (21-for-44) from the field, including 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from beyond the arc. In league play, Stewart has recorded 15 steals in four games, an average of 3.75 steals per game that is tops in the Northeast Conference.
 
- Junior forward Billy Giles, who leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.619), is averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds at home so far this season while converting 69.7 percent (23-for-33) of his attempts from the field.
 
- Robert Morris opened its previous road trip by picking up its first Northeast Conference win as well as its first road victory of the 2015-16 campaign thanks to a 70-60 win @ LIU Brooklyn (1/7/16). Senior guard Rodney Pryor led the Colonials with his fourth double-double of the year thanks to 21 points and 11 rebounds.
 
- Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench against the Blackbirds, while freshman guard Isaiah Still finished with 13 points and five caroms.
 
- Despite converting just 30.7 percent (118-for-384) of its attempts from beyond the arc through 17 games, RMU is shooting 48.6 percent (280-for-576) in two-point field goal attempts. Senior guard Rodney Pryor has converted 56.1 percent (88-for-157) of his attempts inside the three-point arc.
 
- Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie is shooting 50.6 percent (42-for-83) inside the arc, but 50.9 percent (86-of-169) of his shots have come from beyond the three-point line.
 
- Robert Morris hosts Fairleigh Dickinson in a 4:00 p.m. tip Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Sewall Center after taking on the Mount Thursday. The two teams will wear special camouflage uniforms for Hoops and Troops, presented by Shale Land Services.

 
 
St. Francis Brooklyn Tidbits - RMU had a three-game winning streak at the Pope P.E. Center snapped with its 56-49 setback ... The Colonials forced the Terriers to establish season lows by an opponent in points (56), field goals (15), field goal percentage (.294) and assists (11) ... St. Francis (N.Y.) held a 51-28 edge on the glass, including an 18-6 advantage in offensive rebounds ... Robert Morris forced 19 turnovers and over its last eight games opponents are averaging 17.1 opponents per contest ... The Colonials converted just 50 percent (7-for-14) of their attempts at the free-throw line, a season low.
 
Close Out - One area Robert Morris improved in its two-game road swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., last weekend was on defense. In splitting a pair of games, the Colonials yielded an average of just 58.0 points in two games while limiting LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn to shoot just 33 percent (37-for-112) from the floor. RMU was especially efficient in limiting damage from deep, as the Blackbirds and Terriers combined to go 8-for-44 (18.2 percent) from beyond the arc. Robert Morris enters Thursday's game leading the NEC against league foes in three-point field goal percent defense (.268).
 
Hot Rod - Senior guard Rodney Pryor has picked up where he left off from last season as RMU closes out a two-game road swing @ St. Francis Brooklyn. Thanks to a game-high 14 points @ St. Francis Brooklyn (1/9/16), Pryor enters Thursday's game having reached double figures in scoring in each of his last 27 games dating back to last season. During that stretch, Pryor is averaging 20.3 points per contest while converting an average of 2.52 three-pointers per game. Pryor is just the fourth player in school history to score in double figures in at least 20 consecutive games. A closer look ...
 

Name	No.	PPG	Dates
1. Maurcie Carter	40	17.0	12/14/02 to 1/26/04
2. Rodney Pryor	27	20.5	2/14/15 to 1/9/16
3. Myron Walker	26	20.1	12/28/91 to 12/1/92
4. Gabe Jackson	2-	18.7	1/3/95 to 2/21/95

Block Party - Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie set an RMU single-season school record for blocks in his rookie campaign last year by recording 36 rejections, and he continues to protect the rim. Minnie finished with two blocks @ St. Francis Brooklyn (1/9/16) and in 16 games this year has posted 27 rejections. Minnie ranks second in the Northeast Conference in blocks per game (1.69) and has accumulated 63 rejections in 48 career contests.

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