GAME 19
Robert Morris (10-8 / 4-1 NEC) @ Fairleigh Dickinson (5-11 / 2-3 NEC)
Saturday, January 13, 2018 • 4:30 p.m.
Stratis Arena (5,000) • Hackensack, N.J.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: RMUColonials.com • NECFrontRow.com
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a three-game road trip Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. tip against Fairleigh Dickinson in Hackensack, N.J., at Stratis Arena.
 
- The Colonials concluded a three-game homestand by having a four-game winning streak halted with an 89-80 loss to Saint Francis U (1/11/18) at PPG Paints Arena. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced RMU with 21 points and also added six rebounds and three assists.
 
- Freshman forward Koby Thomas registered his second double-double in three games with 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Red Flash and also established a career high with four assists. Off the bench, freshman guard Leondre Washington contributed 12 points and four dimes.
 
- Burke led Robert Morris during its three-game homestand by averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He converted 48.9 percent (22-for-45) of his shots from the field. In road games this season, Burke is supplying the Colonials with averages of 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.
 
- Freshman forward Koby Thomas was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week for the fourth time, a league high, Jan. 8, 2018. In wins over St. Francis Brooklyn (1/4/18) and LIU Brooklyn (1/6/18), Thomas averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 48 percent (12-for-25) from the field.
 
- Robert Morris ran its winning streak to four courtesy of an 88-79 win over LIU Brooklyn (1/6/18) at PPG Paints Arena. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke led five players in double figures for the Colonials with 20 points while adding six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Freshman forward Koby Thomas added 17 points and seven rebounds against the Blackbirds.
 
- Also in the win over LIU Brooklyn (1/6/18), junior guard Matty McConnell finished with 15 points and three steals, freshman guard Leondre Washington scored 12 points off the bench and notched three steals and freshman guard Jon Williams contributed 11 points and five assists.
 
- RMU opened its three-game homestand with an 80-79 overtime victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (1/4/18) at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Junior guard Matty McConnell converted a layup with 10.8 seconds to go in the extra frame and completed the and-one with a free throw courtesy of a foul by Glenn Sanabria of the Terriers to help lift the Colonials to their third consecutive victory.
 
- St. Francis Brooklyn had one last chance to win, but a three-pointer by Rasheem Dunn was strong. Freshman forward Koby Thomas recorded his first career double-double in the victory with 16 points and a career-high 12 caroms.
 
LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats

Saint Francis U Tidbits - The Colonials have dropped five straight against the Red Flash as well as six of the last seven contests ... RMU owns a 49-34 (.590) advantage in the all-time series ... SFU shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field in the first half in building a 52-37 halftime lead ... The trio of Andre Wolford, Jamaal King and Keith Braxton combined for 45 points in the first 20 minutes of action ... Robert Morris attempted a season-high 32 three-pointers ... King finished with season highs individually by an opponent in points (27), free throws (10), free-throw attempts (12) and assists (8) ... The RMU bench outscored the Saint Francis U reserves, 21-7.
 
Score - Robert Morris opens a three-game road trip Saturday @ Fairleigh Dickinson coming off a three-game homestand in which it averaged 82.6 points per game. The Colonials eclipsed the 80-point plateau in each contest, marking the first time in almost 10 years RMU has scored at least 80 points in three consecutive games. The last time Robert Morris turned the trick was in February of 2008 in home wins over Fairleigh Dickinson (95-45) and LIU Brooklyn (88-72) and an 80-74 victory @ Central Connecticut. The Colonials haven't scored at least 80 points in four consecutive games since January of 1991, when RMU turned the trick in five straight contests.
 
Bounce - Freshman forward Koby Thomas, the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week as well as four-time winner of the award, registered his second career double-double against Saint Francis U (1/11/18) with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas is coming off an extremely successful three-game homestand, as he averaged 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 48.8 percent (20-for-41) from the floor. Thomas has scored at least 20 points in a game six times this season, trailing only Marcquise Reed (10 in 2014-15) and Myron Walker (8 in 1990-91) for the most by a rookie in program history. Against league foes, Thomas ranks second in the NEC in rebounding (8.2 per game).
 
Stripe - Freshman guard Leondre Washington is coming off a three-game homestand in which he averaged 10.0 points per contest in large part because of his ability to convert at the free-throw line. He shot 93.8 percent (15-for-16) at the chalk in the three games and enters Saturday's game @ Fairleigh Dickinson ranked third in the Northeast Conference against league foes with a success rate of 94.4 percent (17-for-18). Washington has knocked down each of his last 10 attempts at the line in the last three games.
 
Paint - Robert Morris is coming off a three-game homestand in which it scored at least 40 points in the paint in each of its three games, averaging 40.7 points. Included in that stretch is a season-high 42 points in an 88-79 win over LIU Brooklyn (1/6/18). The Colonials have scored at least 30 points in the paint in seven of their last nine games, averaging 33.8 points in the paint per contest. Against Northeast Conference opposition, RMU is scoring an average of 36.0 points in the paint per game.
 
Flush - Freshman forward Koby Thomas is proving to be extremely capable around the rim, as he has posted 25 dunks in 18 games this season. The most dunks in a season by an RMU student-athlete in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole is 30, which came in 2015-16 by forward Billy Giles (2015-17). Thomas provided four dunks against Saint Francis U (1/11/18) and has provided a stuff nine times in five games against Northeast Conference opponents.
 
Only The Young - As Robert Morris continues its Northeast Conference slate, rookies have played a key part for the Colonials in 2017-18. Freshman have supplied 52.7 percent (682-of-1,292) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 63.9 percent (826-of-1,292) of the points for Robert Morris this season.

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