Men's Basketball | 1/11/2017 10:23:00 AM

GAME 18
Saint Francis U (5-10, 2-2 NEC) vs. RMU (6-11, 2-2 NEC)
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • 6:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM and 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
TV: MSG+ & Fox College Sports
TV Talent: Dave Popkin (pxp) & Joe DeSantis (color)
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes a three-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center Thursday when it welcomes in-state rival Saint Francis U for a 6:00 p.m. tip in a game that can be seen live on Fox College Sports.
 
- The Colonials picked up their first win of the 2016-17 campaign at the Charles L. Sewall Center in their last contest with a 62-58 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (1/7/17). Sophomore guard Isaiah Still paced RMU with a game-high 23 points and also matched a career high in rebounds with seven.
 
- Freshman guard Dachon Burke contributed nine points and five rebounds in the win over the Terriers, while senior guard Kavon Stewart returned to the starting lineup and tallied seven points, two assists and two steals.
 
- RMU opened its homestand with a 65-54 loss to LIU Brooklyn (1/5/17). Freshman guard Dachon Burke led the Colonials with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench, while freshman forward Braden Burke added 10 points and five rebounds, also off the bench.
 
- The Colonials concluded a two-game road swing to open Northeast Conference action with an 81-77 setback @ Fairleigh Dickinson (12/31/16). The Colonials had an 11-point lead with 6:10 to play, 65-54, but the Knights used a 19-7 run and a 26-for-28 performance at the free-throw line to garner the victory.
 
- Senior guard Kavon Stewart and freshman forward Braden Burke tied for team-high honors in scoring against FDU with 12 points each as eight different players scored between seven and 12 points.
 
- Also reaching double figures for the Colonials against the Knights were sophomore guards Isaiah Still and Matty McConnell and redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate. Still and McConnell each scored 11 points, while Tate posted 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
- Robert Morris opened league play with a 78-67 victory @ Sacred Heart (12/29/16), using a 14-3 run in the second half to take control and allowing the Colonials to erase a seven-point deficit from earlier in the stanza. Sophomore guard Isaiah Still paced RMU with 22 points while tying a career high with seven rebounds.
 
- Senior guard Kavon Stewart contributed 14 points, two assists and four steals in the win over the Pioneers, while redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate and freshman guard Dachon Burke also reached double figures with 10 points each.
 
- The Colonials established a season high in steals against the Pioneers with 16 and enter Thursday's game against Saint Francis U leading the Northeast Conference in thefts with an average of 7.53 per contest. In its first four NEC games, RMU has posted 35 steals, an average of 8.75 per game that ranks second in the league.
 

St. Francis Brooklyn Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 44-29 (.603) all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn ... RMU tied a season low for turnovers with 10, marking the third time in the last five games the Colonials have hit the mark ... Five Colonials finished with at least five rebounds as RMU and SFC tied in caroms, 36-36 ... Robert Morris attempted just six three-pointers in the game, tying the lowest mark the Colonials have shot from deep in seven years under head coach Andrew Toole ... RMU finished 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in a 51-44 victory over La Salle (11/25/11) at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa. ... Robert Morris visited the free-throw line 30 times, converting 19 (63.3 percent), marking the third time in the last five games and fourth time overall in 2016-17 the Colonials have visited the stripe at least 30 times.
 
Bouncing Back - Sophomore guard Isaiah Still paced the Colonials in a 62-58 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (1/7/17) with a game-high 23 points while matching a career high in rebounds with seven. Still, who has reached double figures in 13 of his 16 games this season, is proving the ability to bounce back after a poor performance. Still finished with just seven points in his previous game against LIU Brooklyn (1/5/17), and in three games after failing to reach double figures this season, Still is averaging 19.7 points in the next game while shooting 52.9 percent (18-for-34) from the field and 68 percent (17-for-25) at the free-throw line. Still has eclipsed the 20-point plateau five times this season and seven times in his career thanks to his performance against the Terriers. Robert Morris owns a record of 4-3 (.571) when Still scores at least 20 points in a game.
 
Attack The Rim - In a 62-58 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (1/7/17) that helped RMU notch its first win of the 2016-17 campaign at the Charles L. Sewall Center, the Colonials finished with 38 points in the paint. Robert Morris scored its first 40 points of the game in either in the paint (32) or at the free-throw line (8) and didn't score its first points outside the lane until sophomore guard Isaiah Still drained a three-pointer with 12:54 to play. Through its first four Northeast Conference games, RMU is averaging 36.5 points in the paint, including a season-high 44 in a 78-67 victory @ Sacred Heart (12/29/16). Overall this season the Colonials average 26.5 points in the paint.
 
The Frontcourt - In attacking the rim in Northeast Conference action, Robert Morris enters Thursday's game against Saint Francis U with three Colonials ranked in the top seven in field goal percentage against league opposition. Senior forward Billy Giles ranks third in the circuit at 68.4 percent (13-for-19), while freshman forward Braden Burke and redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate are tied for seventh. Both Burke and Tate have shot 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field in RMU's first four league games.
 
Army Reserve - Having a deeper rotation has been a key for Robert Morris in 2016-17, as the Colonials enter Thursday's game against Saint Francis U receiving an average of 24.4 points per contest from the reserves. The RMU bench has outscored the reserves of its opponents in 13 of 17 games this season and owns a scoring margin of +5.0. Robert Morris has received at least 30 points from its bench in three of its first four Northeast Conference games and five times overall this season.
 
Under/Over - The 2016-17 version of the Colonials are one of the youngest teams in head coach Andrew Toole's seven-year tenure at RMU, as three freshman and three sophomores help make up the rotation. Through 11 games of the year, the Robert Morris underclassmen have supplied the Colonials with 51.4 percent (1,749-of-3,400) of the minutes played and 56.6 percent (597-of-1,055) of their scoring.
 
Steal City - Robert Morris has consistently been at the top of the Northeast Conference leaderboard in steals throughout head coach Andrew Toole's tenure, as the Colonials have topped the circuit four times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016) under Toole and six times in the last nine years. Through 16 games this season, Robert Morris has compiled 128 steals, an average of 7.53 per game that leads the NEC. Senior guard Kavon Stewart paces the circuit individually with an average of 2.00 per contest.
 
Still Of The Night - Sophomore guard Isaiah Still helped the Colonials earn their first win at the Charles L. Sewall Center in 2016-17 with a 62-58 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (1/7/17) thanks to game-high totals in both points (23) and rebounds (7). Still has led Robert Morris in scoring in 11 of its 17 games this season and has reached double figures 13 times. Dating back to last season, Still has scored in double figures in 21 of his last 24 games, averaging 15.6 points per contest.
 
Protect This House - Robert Morris is playing its 32nd season at the Charles L. Sewall Center in 2016-17, and overall the Colonials own a record of 274-146 (.652) in the building. Since 2005-06, RMU has posted a record of 121-44 (.733) at the Sewall Center and in six seasons at "The Chuck" under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 62-29 (.681). As part of its 2016-17 home slate, RMU played a pair of games in Pittsburgh, Pa., at PPG Paints Arena. The Colonials won their first "home" contest at PPG Paints Arena, earning a 64-60 victory over Duquesne (12/6/16). RMU wrapped up its two-game slate at the venue by posting a 74-71 win over Buffalo (12/21/16).

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