GAME 21
Robert Morris (5-15, 3-4) @ Bryant (7-13, 4-3)
Saturday, January 23, 2016 • 4:00 p.m.
Chace Athletic Center (2,600) • Smithfield, R.I.
 
Radio:  ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Paul Dottino (pxp) & Terry O'Connor (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team continues a four-game road trip Saturday in search of its third straight win with a 4:00 p.m. tip in Smithfield, R.I., against Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center.
 
- The Colonials opened their four-game road swing with a 59-45 victory @ Central Connecticut (1/21/16). Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie and junior guard Kavon Stewart tied for game-high honors in scoring, as each finished with 15 points. The duo combined to shoot 68.4 percent (13-for-19) from the field.
 
- Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie has reached double figures in five of his last six games and over that span is averaging 12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 49 percent (25-for-51) from the field, including 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from beyond the arc.
 
- RMU is 4-1 (.800) this season when finishing tied or better in rebounds after tying Central Connecticut (1/21/16) in caroms, 38-38, in a 59-45 victory.
 
- Senior guard Rodney Pryor and sophomore forward Andre Frederick each missed their third consecutive game @ Central Connecticut (1/21/16) due to concussion symptoms. So far in 2015-16, the Colonials have lost a combined 35 games due to injury.
 
- Since allowing a season-high 13 three-pointers in a 78-71 setback @ Columbia (12/14/15), Robert Morris has allowed opponents to shoot just 28.4 percent (55-for-194) from beyond the arc in its last 10 games. RMU ranks second in the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percent defense (.324).
 
- RMU concluded a two-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center with a 64-58 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/16/16). Junior forward Elijah Minnie paced the Colonials with 17 points and also added five rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
 
- Junior guard Kavon Stewart posted a double-double in RMU's win over the Knights with 12 points and a season-high 10 assists, while junior forward Conrad Stephens scored 10 of his career-high 13 points in the second half and also tied for team-high honors in rebounds with six.
 
 - A total of 11 of RMU's 20 games this season have been decided by seven points or less, while another went to overtime (@ New Mexico State). In addition, a total of 16 of RMU's last 25 games against Northeast Conference foes dating back to the beginning of last season have also been decided by seven points or less, with the Colonials owning a record of 7-9 (.438) in those contests.
 
- Robert Morris continues a four-game road trip to close out the month of January after taking on the Bulldogs Saturday. RMU will visit Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 28) and Saint Francis U. (Jan. 30) before concluding its 2015-16 regular season with five of its final eight games at the Charles L. Sewall Center.


 
Central Connecticut Tidbits - Robert Morris posted its third straight win over Central Connecticut and owns a 21-15 (.583) advantage in the all-time series ... The victory improved RMU to 11-6 (.647) at Detrick Gymnasium, and the Colonials own more wins in the all-time series against the Blue Devils on the road than at home ... Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie shot 7-for-9 from the field in tying for game-high honors with 15 points ... In two career games at Detrick Gymnasium, Minnie is shooting 85.7 percent (12-for-14) from the floor ... RMU outscored CCSU, 28-18, in points in the paint and against league foes the Colonials are averaging 26.9 points per game down low.
 
Rounding Into Form - A key reason the Colonials are 3-2 in their last five games is because of RMU's work on the defensive end. In its last five games, RMU is allowing just 59.0 points per game while holding opponents to a shooting percentage of 36.9 percent (103-for-279), including 26.9 percent (28-for-104) from beyond the arc. Robert Morris improved to 44-3 (.936) in six seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when holding its opponent to under 60 points after a 59-45 win @ Central Connecticut (1/21/16).
 
Start Me Up - In a 59-45 victory @ Central Connecticut (1/21/16), head coach Andrew Toole employed his ninth different starting lineup in 2015-16, as freshman guard Steven Whitley scored five points and grabbed a career-high five rebounds in his first collegiate start. Toole, who has won 115 games in six seasons as head coach at Robert Morris, has used 51 different starting lineups during his tenure. That equates to an average of 2.25 victories per starting five. 
 
Double Dime - Junior guard Kavon Stewart registered his first double-double of the 2015-16 campaign and second of his career in a 64-58 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/16/16), finishing with 12 points and a season-high 10 assists while also compiling four steals. Stewart is in the midst of his best stretch of basketball in a Robert Morris uniform, as he has reached double figures in scoring in six of his last eight games as well as eight of his last 11. Stewart contributed 15 points and four assists in a 59-45 victory @ Central Connecticut (1/21/16) and over his last nine games is averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game while owing an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.63.
 
Block Party - Elijah Minnie is just 51 games into his Robert Morris career, but it's safe to say that the Colonials have never had anyone protect the rim better in program history. Minnie already ranks eighth in school history for career blocks with 71 and has recorded 35 rejections this season, an average of 1.84 per contest that ranks second in the Northeast Conference. Minnie established an RMU single-season record for blocks as a freshman in 2014-15 with 36 but needs just two more to break his own record from a year ago.
 
The Floor General - The 2015-16 campaign marks junior guard Kavon Stewart's second full season as the starting point guard for Robert Morris. Thanks to a game-high six assists in RMU's 2015-16 Northeast Conference opener against Sacred Heart (1/2/16), Stewart became the 14th player in program history to eclipse 300 career assists. He enters Saturday's game with 335 career assists in 84 games, an average of 3.99 per contest, and is 50 dimes short of cracking the top 10 in school history in the category. Stewart is also RMU's active leader in steals with 128 career thefts.

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