Men's Basketball | 2/24/2017 2:16:00 PM

GAME 31
Sacred Heart (13-17, 8-9 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (12-18, 8-9 NEC)
Saturday, February 25, 2017 • 3:00 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: ESPN3
Video Talent: Paul Dottino (pxp) & Pam Roecker (color) 
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team wraps up the 2016-17 regular season with its final game in program history at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials host Sacred Heart in a 3:00 p.m. tip in a game that can be seen live on ESPN3.
 
 - In 32 seasons at the Sewall Center, RMU has posted an overall record of 277-149 (.650), including a mark of 174-106 (.621) against Northeast Conference foes. The Colonials own a mark of 65-32 (.670) in the venue under seventh-year head coach Andrew Toole. The most wins by a Robert Morris head coach at the Sewall Center is by Jarrett Durham, who posted a 93-51 (.646) record from 1985 to 1996.
 
- RMU opened its final homestand at the Sewal Center with a 77-76 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (2/23/17). The Knights closed the game on a 16-3 run and had a chance for the win, but Malik Miller's layup as time expired was called off after an official review. Sophomore guard Isaiah Still paced the Colonials with 15 points and also added four rebounds.
 
- Redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate added 14 points and eight rebounds against FDU, while freshman guard Dachon Burke registered 13 points and three steals. Off the bench, junior guard Lorenzen Wright, Jr., scored 10 points.
 
- During the month of February, redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate is averaging 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 73.3 percent (22-for-30) from the floor and 70.8 percent (17-for-24) at the free-throw line. During the same stretch sophomore guard Isaiah Still is averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest.
 
- Thanks to a 5-2 (.714) record in February, Robert Morris has improved to 41-13 (.759) in seven seasons during the month under head coach Andrew Toole. During the month of February the Colonials are allowing an average of 65.7 points per contest and are forcing their opponents to make an average of 17.1 turnovers per game. 
 
- Redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate became the 18th member of the RMU 500-Rebound Club thanks to a career-high 14 rebounds @ Bryant (2/16/17). He enters Saturday's regular-season finale against Sacred Heart ranked 16th all-time in program history with 518 caroms.   
 
- 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.
 
 
Fairleigh Dickinson Tidbits - The Colonials earned a split with FDU in the 2016-17 season series and earned its ninth consecutive win over the Knights at the Charles L. Sewall Center ... RMU has won 18 of the last 19 meetings against Fairleigh Dickinson ... Robert Morris established a season high in fast-break points (14) and also scored 21 points off 20 FDU turnovers ... RMU is forcing opponents into an average of 18.0 turnovers in its last six games ... Junior guard Lorenzen Wright, Jr., notched his second career double-figure scoring game, supplying 10 points off the bench ... Senior guard Kavon Stewart dished out a season-high nine assists and added seven points.
 
Close and Late - Robert Morris earned a 77-76 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (2/23/17) to open its final homestand in program history at the Charles L. Sewall Center and in the process improved to 2-2 (.500) this season in games decided by just a single point. Playing close games late has been a reoccurring theme for the Colonials this season, as nine of RMU's 17 contests in the Northeast Conference have been decided by five points or less. Robert Morris owns a record of 4-5 (.444) in those games. In seven seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 51-31 (.622) in games decided by five points or less.
 
Close Out - Robert Morris enters its final game ever at the Charles L. Sewall Center Saturday 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 29.7 percent (148-for-499) from beyond the arc, which is tops in the Northeast Conference and ranks fifth in the country behind Morgan State (28.1 percent), Gonzaga (29 percent), South Carolina (29.2 percent) and St. Mary's (29.5 percent). League foes have shot 28.7 percent (81-for-282) from deep against the Colonials this season. Overall, RMU has held 17 of its 29 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 30 games, the Robert Morris underclassmen have supplied the Colonials with 55.4 percent (3,340-of-6,025) of the minutes played and 59.8 percent (1,144-of-1,911) of their scoring.
 
Surf Board - Redshirt senior forward Aaron Tate joined the RMU 500-Rebound Club in the opening tilt of a two-game swing through New England by registering his second career double-double courtesy of 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds @ Bryant (2/16/17). Tate grabbed his 500th career board at the 8:36 mark of the second half thanks to an offensive rebound, one of his nine on the game. Tate is the 18th member of the club and through 30 games this season has led the Colonials in caroms a total of 17 times. Tate, who averages 6.9 rebounds per contest, is on pace to finish the regular season with a career total of 525 rebounds.
 
Did You Know? In seven seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 77-32 (.706) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 28-4 (.875) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau. RMU is 6-6 (.500) this season when eclipsing 70 points, including 5-4 (.556) in Northeast Conference games.
 
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