GAME 15
Wagner (7-5, 0-1 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (2-12, 0-1 NEC)
Monday, January 4, 2016 • 7:30 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Radio: WPIT AM 730
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 closes out a two-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center to open its 2015-16 Northeast Conference slate Monday, welcoming Wagner for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
 
- RMU opened its NEC schedule with a 69-65 loss to Sacred Heart (1/2/16). Junior guard Kavon Stewart paced the Colonials against the Pioneers by tying a career high with 19 points and also added six assists and three steals.
 
- Also reaching double figures in scoring for Robert Morris against Sacred Heart was senior guard Rodney Pryor, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, and freshman guard Isaiah Still, who scored 10 points and added three boards and two steals.
 
- Despite converting just 29.5 percent (98-for-332) of its attempts from beyond the arc through 14 games this season, RMU is shooting an even 50 percent (235-for-470) in two-point field goal attempts. Senior guard Rodney Pryor has converted 57.2 percent (75-for-131) of his attempts inside the three-point arc.
 
- Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie, who leads the Northeast Conference in blocks per game (1.77) and is the tallest member of the Colonials at 6'9", is shooting 52.7 percent (38-for-72) inside the arc, but 51 percent (75-of-147) of his shots from the field have come from beyond the three-point line.
 
- Of RMU's 12 losses so far in 2015-16, six have decided by seven points or less and another was lost in overtime (New Mexico State). 
 
- The Colonials wrapped up the non-conference portion of their 2015-16 slate with 79-67 loss @ Georgia (12/29/15). Senior guard Rodney Pryor paced RMU with a game-high 22 points and also added eight rebounds and four steals.
 
- Junior guard Kavon Stewart contributed 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Bulldogs, while sophomore forward Elijah Minnie came off the bench and supplied 13 points, five boards and a pair of blocks.
 
- In its last game before Christmas, Robert Morris suffered a 72-65 setback @ Duquesne (12/19/15). Sophomore forward Elijah Minnie garnered game-high accolades in points (23) and rebounds (12), registering his first double-double of the season and fourth of his career.
 
- RMU picked up its first home victory of the 2015-16 campaign with a 69-67 win over Lehigh (12/17/15) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Senior guard Rodney Pryor came off the bench and scored a game-high 20 points while also leading RMU in rebounds (6) and assists (5).
 
- Robert Morris will begin a stretch of six of eight games on the road after hosting Wagner Monday. The Colonials open a two-game road swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 7, with a 7:00 p.m. tip at LIU Brooklyn.


 
Sacred Heart Tidbits - RMU dipped to 19-10 (.655) all-time against Sacred Heart and had a six-game winning streak over the Pioneers at the Charles L. Sewall Center snapped ... The previous loss for Robert Morris at home against SHU came Jan. 13, 2008, an 82-69 setback ... The Colonials slipped to 17-18 (.486) all-time in NEC openers ... The 33 points for SHU sophomore guard Cane Broome are the most by an opponent at the Sewall Center since former Central Connecticut guard Kyle Vinales scored 34 points Jan. 5, 2013 ... Robert Morris shot 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field in the first half but converted just seven of its 29 attempts (24.1 percent) in the second half ... The Colonials went 12 minutes and 56 seconds without a field goal during the second half ... Sacred Heart held a 36-32 edge in rebounding despite being outrebounded, 16-9, in the first half.
 
Settling In - Junior point guard Kavon Stewart is in the midst of his best stretch of basketball of the 2015-16 campaign as the Colonials close out a two-game homestand to open Northeast Conference play Monday against Wagner. Stewart paced Robert Morris against Sacred Heart (1/2/16), tying a career high with 19 points while dishing out six assists and finishing with three steals. Stewart has reached double figures in four of his previous five games entering Monday's tilt and over that span is averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 assists while posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.86.
 
Deep Thoughts - Since establishing season highs in both three-point field goals (11) and three-point attempts (32) @ Youngstown State (12/2/15), Robert Morris is shooting just 27.9 percent (31-for-111) from beyond the arc in its last five games.
 
Diversify - In 2014-15, 44.5 percent (243-of-546) of the scoring production for guard Rodney Pryor came from beyond the three-point line. Through 14 games in 2015-16, just 33.2 percent (99-of-298) of Pryor's production has come from the three-pointer. Conversely, forward Elijah Minnie registered 31.9 percent (69-of-216) of his scoring production from beyond the arc as a freshman in 2014-15. So far during his sophomore campaign, 41.5 percent (66-of-159) of Minnie's production is from deep.
 
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 Monday's game against Wagner with 301 career assists in 78 games, an average of 3.86 per contest, and is 84 dimes short of cracking the top 10 in school history in the category. Stewart is also RMU's active leader in steals with 108 career thefts.

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