GAME 12
Robert Morris (6-5) @ North Carolina State (8-3)
Tuesday, December 19, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.
PNC Arena (19,722) • Raleigh, N.C.
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
TV: ACC Network Extra
TV Talent: Andrew Sanders (pxp) & Chucky Brown (color)
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team wraps up the road portion of its 2017-18 non-conference slate Tuesday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against North Carolina State at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
 
- The Colonials opened a two-road trip with an 86-70 setback @ Buffalo (12/16/17). Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced the Colonials with 18 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Freshman forward Koby Thomas also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points while grabbing five boards.
 
- RMU wrapped up a two-game homestand at PPG Paints Arena with a 74-60 victory over Drexel (12/10/17). Sophomore guard Dachon Burke led the Colonials with 25 points and added four rebounds and five steals while setting a career high with six three-pointers.
 
- Freshman forward Koby Thomas added 21 points and a team-high six rebounds in the win over the Dragons, while junior guard Matty McConnell registered his third career double-double courtesy of 10 points and a career-high 11 assists.
 
- The win over Drexel marked RMU's 600th victory as an NCAA Division I program. All-time the Colonials are 600-626 (.489). It also marked the 250th game on the sideline for eighth-year head coach Andrew Toole. Only Jarrett Durham (340) has coached more games in the 42-year Division I history of Robert Morris basketball.
 
- Robert Morris has received seven weekly honors from the Northeast Conference through the first six weeks of the 2017-18 season. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke won three-consecutive NEC Player of the Week accolades, while freshman forward Koby Thomas has been named NEC Rookie of the Week three times. In addition, freshman guard Jon Williams was named NEC Rookie of the Week Dec. 4, 2017.
 
- Over his last five games, freshman guard Jon Williams is averaging 9.6 points and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from the field, including 60.9 percent (14-for-23) from beyond the arc.
 
- The Colonials enter Tuesday's game @ North Carolina State leading the Northeast Conference in turnover margin at +3.45 while being tied for ninth in NCAA Division I with New Mexico and St. John's in turnovers forced per game (19.36).
 
- RMU opened the home portion of its 2017-18 slate with a 78-75 victory over Rider (12/6/17) at PPG Paints Arena. Freshman forward Koby Thomas finished with a game-high 20 points, including six in the final 2:59 to help seal the victory.
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the win over the Broncs, while freshman guard Jon Williams and junior guard Matty McConnell each scored 10 points. Williams dished out a career-high eight assists in the victory, while McConnell registered six dimes.

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Buffalo Tidbits - Robert Morris fell to 1-4 (.250) all-time against Buffalo with the setback, and the contest wrapped up a four-game series between the two programs ... RMU and Buffalo met in 2013 and 2014, took a year off, then finished the series in 2016 and 2017 ... CJ Massinburg scored a game-high 23 points for Buffalo, the most points scored by an opposing student-athlete against Robert Morris this season ... The Colonials outscored Buffalo, 36-34, in points in the paint, while each team was tied, 24-24, in points off turnovers ... Buffalo attempted 26 three-pointers against RMU, the most by an opponent in 2017-18 ... Of the eight rebounds for junior forward Malik Petteway, six came on the offensive glass.
 
Forcing The Issue - Robert Morris enters Tuesday's game @ North Carolina State leading the NEC in turnover margin (+3.45) and is tied for ninth in NCAA Division I with New Mexico and St. John's in forced turnovers per game (19.36). The Colonials have forced more turnovers in 10 of their 11 games so far this season, and the 25 miscues by Buffalo (12/16/17) marks the second time this season an RMU opponent has finished with at least 25 turnovers. In a 75-53 victory over Norfolk State (11/24/17), Robert Morris forced the Spartans into 26 turnovers.
 
Men Of Steal - Robert Morris posted a season-high 15 steals @ Buffalo (12/16/17), with sophomore guard Dachon Burke leading the way with three. Nine of the 10 student-athletes that saw action against the Bulls finished with at least one theft. It marks the seventh time in eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole the Colonials have finished with at least 15 thefts in a game. RMU has posted a record of 5-2 (.714) in those contests.
 
Blast Off - Dachon Burke seems to stepping into his own in his second year with the Colonials, as the sophomore guard has reached double figures in each of his 10 games this season and enters Tuesday's game @ North Carolina State leading RMU and ranking fifth in the Northeast Conference in scoring at 17.4 points per game. Over his last seven games, Burke is averaging 19.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals per contest while shooting 52 percent (51-for-98) from the field. Included in that stretch is a trio of 20-point performances, the first three of his career, including a career-high 26 points @ Siena (12/2/17). RMU is 12-9 (.571) the last two years when Burke scores in double figures.
 
Depth Charge - Graduate transfer Ronnie Gombe scored a career-high eight points @ Buffalo (12/16/17), and his performance helped RMU receive 21 points from its bench. The Colonials have scored at least 20 points from their reserves in nine of 11 games this season, and the Robert Morris bench is supplying an average of 21.6 points per contest.
 
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