GAME 3
Robert Morris (0-2) @ San Diego (1-0)
Wednesday, November 15, 2017 • 10:00 p.m.
Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) • San Diego, Calif.
Grand Canyon Classic
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: TheW.tv
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team continues play in the Grand Canyon Classic Wednesday with a 10:00 p.m. tip against San Diego at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, Calif. It marks the just third game in program history against a member of the West Coast Conference (WCC) and first since 1985.
 
- RMU opened the Grand Canyon Classic with a 75-61 setback to the host Antelopes in Phoenix, Ariz., at GCU Arena. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced the Colonials against Grand Canyon (11/13/17) with 15 points and a career-high six steals.
 
- Freshman forward Koby Thomas tallied 13 points, four rebounds and a steal against the Antelopes, while junior forward Malik Petteway recorded his first career double-double off the bench courtesy of 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
- Robert Morris tipped off its 42nd season of Division I basketball with a 95-64 loss @ Ohio State (11/10/17). Junior guard Matty McConnell scored a career-high 22 points, while freshman forward Koby Thomas also scored 22 points.
 
- Robert Morris was tabbed seventh in the 2017 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the program's lowest projection since being picked to finish 10th in 2005. Robert Morris has never been the preseason favorite in the poll despite owning a league-high eight NEC Tournament titles, the last of which came in 2015.
 
- Junior guard Matty McConnell appeared in all 33 games in 2016-17 as a sophomore, earning 27 starts, and posted averages of 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest while ranking third in the NEC in steals (1.64 per game).
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke played in all 33 games in 2016-17 as a rookie, finishing third for the Colonials in scoring at 7.6 points per game while grabbing an average of 3.9 rebounds per contest. He ranked sixth in the NEC in steals per game (1.55).
 
- RMU's contest @ San Diego is part of an eight-game road trip to open the year. It marks the longest road trip to open a season since the 1993-94 campaign, when the Colonials also opened the year with eight consecutive games away from home. The longest season-opening road trip in school history is nine, which came in 1990-91.
 
LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Grand Canyon Tidbits - The meeting between the Colonials and Antelopes was the first in the all-time series between the two programs ... RMU forced Grand Canyon into 21 turnovers and through the first two games owns a turnover ratio of +1.50 ... Robert Morris outrebounded GCU, 39-37, including a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass ... RMU is averaging 12.5 offensive rebounds through its first two games of the 2017-18 season ... The Colonials held the Antelopes to one field goal over the final 11:52 of the contest ... Robert Morris held advantages in points in the paint (28-26), points off turnovers (25-19), second-chance points (14-12) and bench points (22-16).
 
Strengthening The Rotation - Sophomore guard Dachon Burke made his 2017-18 debut @ Grand Canyon (11/13/17) and immediately made his presence felt, as he led the Colonials with 15 points. Burke shot 4-for-12 from the field, knocking down his only attempt from beyond the arc, and also went 6-for-7 at the free-throw line. On the defensive end, Burke established a career high with six steals. Dating back to the 2016-17 campaign, Burke has registered at least one steal in each of his last 16 games, averaging 2.1 thefts per game over that span.
 
Stars & Stripes - One area RMU has improved in the early going of the 2017-18 campaign compared to the last few seasons is converting at the free-throw line. In the first two games of the new season, the Colonials have knocked down 71.9 percent (23-for-32) of their attempts at the charity stripe. Last season, Robert Morris was successful on just 64.7 percent (486-for-751) of its chances, the lowest mark since the program's first season of Division I in 1976-77, when the Colonials were just 224-for-374 (59.9%).
 
Plenty Of Playing Time - Given the number of new faces on the RMU roster in 2017-18, the latest batch of Colonials will have plenty of opportunities to work their way into the rotation. Robert Morris returns a total of 1,611 minutes from last season in junior guard Matty McConnell (854), sophomore guard Dachon Burke (755) and junior forward Seth Rouse (2). Only seven programs entered the year with fewer minutes returning from last season, led by Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils return just 386 minutes from last season. RMU is also one of just six programs to feature no seniors on its roster in 2017-18, joining American, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Holy Cross and Kentucky.

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