GAME 20
Robert Morris (11-8 / 5-1 NEC) @ Sacred Heart (7-12 / 2-4 NEC)
Thursday, January 18, 2018 • 6:00 p.m.
William H. Pitt Center (2,062) • Fairfield, Conn.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: SacredHeartPioneers.com • NECFrontRow.com
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team continues a three-game road trip Thursday with a 6:00 p.m. tip against Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.
 
- RMU opened its three-game swing by earning an 81-75 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (1/13/18). The Colonials, which have won 19 of their last 20 games against the Knights, were led by sophomore guard Dachon Burke, who finished with a game-high 25 points and recorded seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
- Freshman guard Leondre Washington contributed 14 points, two assists and two steals in the win over the Knights, while junior guard Matty McConnell chipped in 11 points, three assists and four steals.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game against Sacred Heart leading the Northeast Conference in turnover margin (+2.89) and three-point field goal percent defense (.311) while ranking second in the circuit in offensive rebounds and steals with per game averages of 12.58 and 7.95, respectively.
 
- In Northeast Conference games, the Colonials lead the league in scoring margin (+5.8) and three-point field goal percent defense (.300) while ranking second in the conference in scoring offense (78.0 ppg) and steals (7.83 per game). Individually, freshman forward Koby Thomas leads the NEC against league foes with an average of 3.33 offensive rebounds per game.
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke leads the Colonials in scoring at 17.2 points per game, which ranks seventh in the Northeast Conference. Against league opposition, Burke is scoring at 19.0 points per game clip, and in road games he is averaging 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. 
 
- 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 career double-double 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. Freshman forward Koby Thomas nearly averaged a double-double during RMU's homestand, producing averages of 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 48.8 percent (20-for-41) from the floor.

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Fairleigh Dickinson Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 45-31 (.592) in the all-time series against the Knights and has won 19 of the last 20 meetings between the two programs ... The Colonials improved to 2-7 this season when trailing at the half, as FDU owned a 37-35 advantage at the break ... Fairleigh Dickinson owned a 41-34 edge in rebounding, with each team posting 14 offensive rebounds ... Each of the three rebounds for freshman Charles Bain were on the offensive glass ... Junior guard Matty McConnell posted a game-high four steals and owns 11 steals in his last four games (2.75 per contest).
 
Score - In an 81-75 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (1/13/18) that opened a three-game road trip, Robert Morris accomplished something it hasn't done in over a quarter of a century. The Colonials eclipsed the 80-point plateau for the fourth consecutive game, marking the first time turning the trick since January of 1991, when RMU accomplished the feat in five straight contests. In Northeast Conference games, Robert Morris ranks second in scoring offense at 78.0 points per contest. The Colonials enter Thursday's game @ Sacred Heart averaging 82.3 points in the month of January.
 
Attack The Rim - Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced the Colonials in an 81-75 victory @ Fairleigh Dickinson (1/13/18) by posting a game-high 25 ponts while also recording seven rebounds and a pair of steals. It marked the third consecutive game that Burke has eclipsed the 20-point plateau, as he enters Thursday's game @ Sacred Heart averaging 22.0 points over his last three games. Burke is the fourth member of the Colonials in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole to score at least 20 points in three consecutive games, joining Velton Jones (2008-13), Karvel Anderson (x2) (2012-14) and Rodney Pryor (2014-16).
 
Stripe - Leondre Washington has been a key piece to the Robert Morris bench this season, and the freshman guard has provided consistent production in recent weeks. In an 81-75 win @ Fairleigh Dickinson (1/13/18), Washington scored 14 points, dished out two assists and registered two steals. Washington enters Thursday's contest @ Sacred Heart having averaged 12.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals over his last three games. An area that Washington has excelled is at the free-throw line. He finished 8-for-10 at the stripe against the Knights and Over his last six games has shot 88.5 percent (32-for-35) at the chalk. Against league foes, he ranks fifth in the circuit in free-throw percentage (89.3%) and overall in the NEC ranks 15th (76.5%).
 
Spreading The Wealth - It seems at any time during the course of a game, the Colonials have a player on the floor that can facilitate offense. Robert Morris currently has four players averaging at least 2.0 assists per game in freshman Jon Williams (3.4), junior guard Matty McConnell (3.0), sophomore guard Dachon Burke (2.3) and freshman guard Leondre Washington (2.3). McConnell enters Thursday's game @ Sacred Heart ranked third in the Northeast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78), while Williams ranks 12th in the same category (1.20).
 
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 (723-of-1,373) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 63.4 percent (871-of-1,373) of the points for Robert Morris this season.
 
Did You Know? In eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 86-35 (.711) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 32-5 (.865) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau.
 
Free Is For Me - Robert Morris remained perfect in Northeast Conference road games with an 81-75 win @ Fairleigh Dickinson (1/13/18) by visiting the free-throw line 33 times, converting 26 of those attempts (78.8%). Getting to the charity stripe at least 30 times in a game is a good sign for the Colonials. RMU owns a record of 30-10 (.750) under head coach Andrew Toole when visiting the chalk at least 30 times in a contest, including a perfect 4-0 in 2017-18.

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