Men's Basketball | 2/16/2016 3:07:00 PM

GAME 28
LIU Brooklyn (13-12, 7-7 NEC) vs. RMU (8-19, 6-8 NEC)
Thursday, February 18, 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 its final homestand of the 2015-16 regular season Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against LIU Brooklyn at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
 
- Senior guard Rodney Pryor notched his third consecutive double-double with 27 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to help lead the Colonials to a 72-70 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/13/16) in their last contest. He also finished with three assists and three steals in the win.
 
- Junior forward Billy Giles contributed 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field while recording five rebounds and two blocks in the win over the Knights. Junior guard Kavon Stewart finished with 11 points and six assists.
 
- RMU outrebounded Fairleigh Dickinson, 38-25, to improve to 5-1 (.833) this season and 77-16 (.828) in six seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when outrebounding its opponent. 
 
- In 10 games at the Charles L. Sewall Center, junior forward Billy Giles is averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 60.8 percent (48-for-79) from the field. RMU's leading scorer at home this season has been senior guard Rodney Pryor, who is averaging 15.9 points per contest while grabbing an average of 8.5 rebounds per game.
 
- Junior forward Billy Giles has shot 69.1 percent (38-for-55) from the floor over his last six games, producing averages of 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest over that span.
 
- The Colonials wrapped up a three-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center with a 68-57 loss to Saint Francis U. (2/11/16). Senior guard Rodney Pryor paced RMU with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Billy Giles contributed 11 points and six caroms.
 
- Robert Morris snapped a three-game slide with an 89-71 victory over Bryant (2/6/16). Junior forward Billy Giles led the way against the Bulldogs by registering his second double-double of the year with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds.
 
- Freshman guard Isaiah Still finished with 22 points and five rebounds in the win over Bryant (2/16/16), while senior guard Rodney Pryor tallied 14 points and 11 boards.
 
- Robert Morris opened its homestand by dropping a 65-60 decision to Central Connecticut (2/4/16). Freshman guard Isaiah Still scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to pace the Colonials and also tied a career high with seven rebounds.
 
- RMU plays its final home game of the 2015-16 season after taking on the Blackbirds Thursday with a 4:00 p.m. tip against St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday, Feb. 20. The Colonials conclude the regular season with a two-game road swing, beginning Thursday, Feb. 25, with a 7:00 p.m. tip @ Sacred Heart.


 
Fairleigh Dickinson Tidbits - In sweeping the 2015-16 season series, Robert Morris posted its 17th consecutive victory over Fairleigh Dickinson ... The Colonials own a 43-30 (.589) edge in the all-time series against the Knights ... The contest featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes, season highs in both categories for RMU ... Robert Morris converted a season-high 92.3 percent (12-for-13) of its attempts at the free-throw line ... RMU held a 38-25 edge in rebounds, including a 13-5 edge on the offensive glass ... Freshman guard Steven Whitley dished out a career-high four assists in the win over the Knights and also added four points, four rebounds, a block and a steal.
 
Double Trouble - Senior guard Rodney Pryor paced the Colonials in a 72-70 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/13/16) with 27 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The performance against the Knights marked Pryor's third consecutive double-double. Pryor has posted seven double-doubles in 2015-16, which is tied for fifth in RMU single-season history and the most since former guard Tony Lee (2004-08) also finished with seven in 2007-08. Pryor is looking to become the first member of the Colonials to record four consecutive double-doubles since former forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08) turned the trick in four straight games in January of 2006. 
 
19 Minutes - Senior guard Rodney Pryor notched his third consecutive double-double in impressive fashion in a 72-70 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/13/16) with one of the best halves of basketball in his two-year career in a Robert Morris uniform. In 19 minutes in the second half against the Knights, Pryor finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Pryor finished 6-for-11 shooting from the field after halftime @ FDU, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and went 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. His performance against the Knights marks the second time Pryor has scored at least 20 points in a half. He scored 25 points in the second half en route to a 31-point performance @ Sacred Heart (2/19/15). Pryor enters Thursday's game against LIU Brooklyn ranked second in the Northeast Conference in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
 
Billy The Kid - Junior forward Billy Giles has been the most efficient member of the Colonials on offense in recent weeks as RMU opens its final homestand of the 2015-16 regular season Thursday against LIU Brooklyn. Giles finished with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field in a 72-70 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/13/16) and over his last four games is averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 67.4 percent (31-for-46) from the field. Giles ranks third in the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage (.587) entering Thursday's tilt against the Blackbirds, a success rate that currently ranks fifth in the Robert Morris single-season record book.    
 
Attack The Paint - While Robert Morris has struggled knocking down the three-point shot in recent weeks, converting at the rim hasn't been an issue. The Colonials have scored at least 40 points in the paint in three of their last five games after finishing with 40 against Saint Francis U. (2/11/16). Included in that stretch is a season-high 48 points down low in an 89-71 victory over Bryant (2/6/16). Against the Bulldogs, RMU shot a staggering 64.4 percent (29-for-45) in two-point field goal attempts. Against Northeast Conference foes this season, the Colonials own a success rate inside the three-point arc of 49.7 percent (248-for-499) and are averaging 30.9 points in the paint per game.
 
The Chase For 1,000 - Senior guard Rodney Pryor is RMU's active leading scorer with 980 points as the Colonials conclude the home portion of their 2015-16 regular season this week against LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn. Pryor has scored a team-high 434 points in 24 games this year and is looking to become the second player in the last three years to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau in just two seasons at RMU. Former guard Karvel Anderson scored 1,123 points in 69 career games from 2012 to 2014. Pryor enters Thursday's game against the Blackbirds just 20 points of eclipsing 1,000 career points. He would be the fourth player in school history, and third at the Division I level, to score at least 1,000 points while playing just two years.
 
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 Thursday's game with 363 career assists in 90 games, an average of 4.03 per contest, and is 22 dimes short of cracking the top 10 in school history in the category. Stewart is also RMU's active leader in steals with 135 career thefts.

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