Men's Basketball | 2/15/2017 11:00:00 AM
GAME 28
Robert Morris (10-17, 6-8 NEC) @ Bryant (9-18, 6-8 NEC)
Thursday, February 16, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.
Chace Athletic Center (2,600) • Smithfield, R.I.
Radio: ESPN 970 AM and 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: NECFrontRow.com • BryantBulldogs.com
Quick Hits
- The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team, winners of three of its last four games, travels to New England for its final road trip of the 2016-17 regular season. The Colonials open the two-game swing Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I.
- RMU concluded a two-game homestand at the Charles L. Sewall Center with a 50-48 victory over Wagner (2/11/17). It marked the third time in 2016-17 the Colonials have held an opponent under 50 points. Sophomore guard
Isaiah Still paced Robert Morris against the Seahawks with 14 points and five rebounds.
- Robert Morris owns a record of 39-13 (.750) during the month of February in seven seasons under head coach
Andrew Toole thanks to a 3-1 (.750) mark through four games in 2017. In four games this month the Colonials are holding opponents to 59.8 points per game on 37.6 percent (77-for-205) shooting from the field, including 32.9 percent (24-for-73) from beyond the arc. Offensively, RMU is averaging 66.2 points per game in February while shooting 42.3 percent (91-for-215) from the floor.
- The Colonials opened their homestand by dropping a 74-70 decision to Mount St. Mary's (2/9/17). Sophomore guard
Isaiah Still led four Colonials in double figures with 17 points while also grabbing seven rebounds. Sophomore guard
Matty McConnell added 13 points and a career-high six steals.
- A total of 10 of RMU's 14 games against Northeast Conference foes this season have been decided by seven points or less, with the Colonials owning a record of 4-6 (.400) in those contests. In league tilts decided by five points or less, Robert Morris has posted a record of 3-5 (.375). In seven years under head coach
Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 50-31 (.617) in games settled by five points or less.
- Redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate is RMU's active leader in career rebounds with 488 and needs 12 caroms to become the 18th member of the Robert Morris 500-Rebound Club. Senior guard
Kavon Stewart is RMU's active leader in points (938) and ranks eighth all-time at RMU for career games played (121) and 13th in career starts (87).
- Robert Morris announced Thursday, January 19, 2017, in a press conference at the Charles L. Sewall Center 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.
- While the UPMC Events Center is being built, Robert Morris will play its home games at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Colonials will play their entire slate in 2017-18 at the facility as well as its non-conference schedule in 2018-19. RMU posted a 2-0 record in the facility this season.
Wagner Tidbits - Robert Morris snapped a four-game slide against the Seahawks and improved to 42-30 (.583) in the all-time series ... The Colonials held Wagner to 34.8 percent (16-for-46) shooting from the field, including 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from beyond the arc ... The Seahawks began the game 3-for-6 from deep in the first 13 minutes but finished 1-for-12 (8.3%) ... RMU held its third opponent this season to under 50 points ... RMU also held Hampton (11/25/16) and Mount St. Mary's (1/26/17) to 48 points ... Wagner owned a 41-34 edge in rebounding but Robert Morris posted a 15-13 edge on the offensive glass ... Robert Morris held advantages in points in the paint, 26-14, and points off turnovers, 16-6 ... Freshman
Dachon Burke led the Colonials with seven rebounds and is averaging 6.8 caroms over his last seven games.
Consistency - Robert Morris heads on the road for its final road trip of the regular season this week in New England having been amazingly consistent on both offense and defense during the Northeast Conference slate. The Colonials enter Thursday's game @ Bryant averaging 64.5 points per game on offense. On defense? RMU has allowed the exact same number, yielding 64.5 points per contest. Against league foes, Robert Morris leads the circuit in three-point field goal percent defense (.276), ranks second in field goal percent defense (.410) and third in scoring defense.
Return Of The Mack - Matty McConnell has become a consistent contributor for the Colonials over the last month, as the sophomore guard has produced averages of 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals over his last 10 games. During that stretch McConnell has registered his first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds @ Wagner (1/14/17), scored a season-high 16 points @ Saint Francis U (1/28/17) and established a career high with six steals against Mount St. Mary's (2/9/17). Against Northeast Conference opposition, McConnell ranks second in the circuit in steals, producing an average of 2.21 per contest. In 32 career games against league foes, McConnell is averaging 2.28 thefts per game.
Close Out - Robert Morris enters Thursday's game @ Bryant as one of the top teams in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal percent defense. The Colonials have held opponents to a shooting percentage of just 28.9 percent (130-for-450) from beyond the arc, which is tops in the Northeast Conference and ranks fourth in the country behind South Carolina (27.4 percent), Morgan State (28.2 percent) and Louisville (28.3 percent). League foes have shot just 27.6 percent (67-for-243) from deep against the Colonials this season. Overall, RMU has held 17 of its 27 opponents to under 30 percent shooting from deep.
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 25 games, the Robert Morris underclassmen have supplied the Colonials with 54.5 percent (2,956-of-5,425) of the minutes played and 59 percent (996-of-1,687) of their scoring.
Defense Wins Championships - At the heart of the resurgence of the Robert Morris basketball program since 2007-08 is defense. Thanks to a 50-48 win over Wagner (2/11/17), the Colonials improved to 155-44 (.779) over the last nine seasons when holding their opponent to under 70 points. Under
Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 102-36 (.739) when turning the trick. Overall in the last nine years, the Colonials have held their opponent to under 70 points 58.9 percent (199-of-338) of the time.
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