Men's Basketball | 1/20/2017 2:34:00 PM

GAME 21
Bryant (5-15, 2-5 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (7-13, 3-4 NEC)
Saturday, January 21, 2017 • 4:00 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)
Video: NECFrontRow.com • RMUColonials.com
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team closes out a two-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center Saturday by hosting Bryant in a 4:00 p.m. tip.
 
- The Colonials snapped a two-game slide by posting a 74-67 victory over Central Connecticut (1/19/17). Senior guard Kavon Stewart matched a season high in scoring by leading RMU with 21 points and also added five rebounds and six assists. Robert Morris shot a season-high 52 perent (26-for-50) frm the field in the win.
 
- Sophomore guard Matty McConnell contributed 12 points against the Blue Devils, freshman guard Dachon Burke scored 11 and redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate registered 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
- Prior to its win over CCSU, Robert Morris announced it will break ground on the UPMC Events Center, a 140,000-square foot complex, in July. The Colonials will play their home games at Peoples Court, and the facility is slated to open in January of 2019. In addition, RMU extended the contract of head coach Andrew Toole one season through the 2020-21 campaign.
 
 - In its previous road game, Robert Morris fell @ Wagner (1/14/17), 53-50. The Colonials trailed, 51-50, with under 30 seconds to play, but a three-pointer from sophomore guard Isaiah Still with 15.5 seconds left was short, while sophomore guard Matty McConnell missed a jumper from the elbow with 10 seconds remaining after grabbing the offensive rebound of Still's missed triple.
 
- Freshman guard Dachon Burke paced the Colonials against the Seahawks with 13 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Matty McConnell registered his first career double-double courtesy of 12 points and 10 rebounds. McConnell also added three assists, two blocks and three steals.
 
- RMU concluded a three-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center with a 77-57 loss to Saint Francis U (1/12/17). Sophomore guard Matty McConnell paced the Colonials with a season-high 15 points while also adding six rebounds and four steals.
 
- Also reaching double figures for Robert Morris against the Red Flash was senior guard Kavon Stewart and freshman guard Dachon Burke, as each scored 12 points. Stewart also tallied four rebounds and four assists, while Burke finished with three rebounds and a block.
 
- The Colonials picked up their first win of the 2016-17 campaign at the Charles L. Sewall Center 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.
 
 
Central Connecticut Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 22-16 (.579) all-time against the Blue Devils, including 11-9 (.550) at the Charles L. Sewall Center ... Central Connecticut shot 52.2 percent (24-for-46) from the field, the second consecutive home game an opponent has converted better than half its shots from the field ... RMU never trailed in the contest, posting its second wire-to-wire win in 2016-17 (Hampton) ... Redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate finished with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds and ranks fifth in the Northeast Conference against league foes in field goal percentage (.636) ... RMU used its fourth different starting lineup in its last five games ... The Colonials outrebounded the Blue Devils, 27-26, including a 10-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
 
Stars and Stripes - Senior guard Kavon Stewart tied a season high in scoring with 21 points in a 74-67 victory over Central Connecticut (1/19/17) on the strength of an 8-for-9 performance at the free-throw line. Stewart had converted 13 consecutive free throws until missing the back end of a pair at the stripe with 19 seconds left against the Blue Devils. Against Northeast Conference opponents this season, Stewart is shooting 84.8 percent (28-for-33) at the chalk, which ranks eighth in the circuit. Thanks to his performance against CCSU, Stewart became the seventh player in school history to convert at least 300 free throws. He ranks sixth all-time in program history with 307.
 
On The Offensive - Thanks to shooting a season-high 52 percent (26-for-50) from the field in a 74-67 victory over Central Connecticut (1/19/17), RMU improved to 35-5 (.875) when shooting 50 percent or better from the field in seven seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, including a mark of 27-1 (.964) against NEC opponents. Broken down against league foes, Robert Morris is 24-1 (.960) in the regular season and 3-0 in the NEC Tournament when converting at least half of its shots.
 
Did You Know? In seven seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 74-29 (.718) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 28-3 (.903) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau. RMU is 3-3 (.500) this season when eclipsing 70 points, including 2-1 (.667) in Northeast Conference games.
 
Return Of The Mack - Sophomore guard Matty McConnell finished with 12 points in a 74-67 victory over Central Connecticut (1/19/17) on the strength of a 4-for-8 performance from beyond the arc. McConnell has seemingly found his shot, as he enters Saturday's game against Bryant averaging 13.0 points over his last three games while shooting 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from deep. Against Northeast Conference opponents, McConnell also continues to excel on the defensive end, as he has registered 17 steals, an average of 2.43 per game that is tied with Darian Anderson of Fairleigh Dickinson for tops in the league. In 25 career games against league foes, McConnell is averaging 2.40 thefts per game.
 
Growing Up - Freshman guard Dachon Burke has become a consistent contributor since Robert Morris has entered Northeast Conference play, as he enters Saturday's game against Bryant averaging 10.7 points and 3.7 rebounds against league foes while shooting 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the floor. Burke, who contributed 11 points and four rebounds in a 74-67 win over Central Connecticut (1/19/17), has reached double figures in three consecutive games and five of RMU's seven league contests. He also ranks ninth in the NEC against league foes in field goal percentage.
 
Start Me Up - Head coach Andrew Toole, who is in his seventh year at the helm of the Colonials in 2016-17, has employed nine different starting lineups this season. Toole, who has won 127 games in seven seasons as head coach at Robert Morris, has used 61 different starting lineups during his tenure. That equates to an average of 2.08 victories per starting five. In his seven seasons on the sideline, Toole has used an average of 8.7 starting lineups per year.
 
Surf Board - The Colonials have been bolstered by the return of forward Aaron Tate in 2016-17, especially on the glass. Tate appeared in RMU's first three games of the 2015-16 campaign before being shut down with a season-ending injury and is the program's active career leader in rebounds with 451. He has a chance to join the 500-Rebound Club in his final season of eligibility. Tate has led the Colonials in rebounding in 12 of their 20 games of 2016-17 and owns a team-high 140 boards. He needs to average 4.5 caroms per contest over RMU's final 11 games of the regular season to become the 18th member of the club.

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