GAME 23
Wagner (14-6 / 7-2 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (13-9 / 7-2 NEC)
Sunday, January 28, 2018 • 2:00 p.m.
PPG Paints Arena (19,000) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: RMUColonials.com • NECFrontRow.com
Quick Hits
- The
Robert Morris University men's basketball team continues a four-game homestand Sunday by opening the second half of its 2017-18 Northeast Conference schedule with a 2:00 p.m. tip against Wagner at PPG Paints Arena.
- RMU is playing eight home games at PPG Paints Arena and four at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University in 2017-18 while construction of the UPMC Events Center takes place on RMU's Moon Township campus. Sunday's game against the Seahawks is the sixth of eight contests at PPG Paints Arena.
- The Colonials opened their four-game homestand by earning a 64-56 victory over Sacred Heart (1/26/18). Robert Morris used a 15-0 run late in the second half to take control. Sophomore guard
Dachon Burke paced RMU with 17 points and also finished with four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
- Off the bench, freshman guard
Leondre Washington contributed 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in the win over the Pioneers. Graduate transfer
Ronnie Gombe, meanwhile, came off the bench for the first time in 10 games and contributed four points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
- Robert Morris enters Sunday's game against Wagner leading the Northeast Conference in turnover margin (+3.00) and three-point field goal percent defense (.306) while ranking second in the circuit in scoring defense (70.5 ppg), steals (7.95 per game) and offensive rebounds (12.59 per contest).
- In Northeast Conference games, the Colonials lead the league in three-point field goal percent defense (.292), steals (7.89 per game) and offensive rebounds (12.78 per contest) while ranking second in the conference in scoring defense (67.9 ppg), scoring margin (+4.9) and turnover margin (+2.89).
- In seven home games in 2017-18, sophomore guard
Dachon Burke is averaging 17.7 points per game, while freshman forward
Koby Thomas produces averages of 17.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. Thomas has shot an even 50 percent (46-for-92) from the field at home, including 51.5 percent (34-for-66) from the floor in five games at PPG Paints Arena. Burke is RMU's leading scorer at PPG Paints Arena at 19.6 points per contest.
- The Colonials concluded a three-game road trip with a 62-49 setback @ Wagner (1/20/18). Robert Morris was led by freshman forward
Koby Thomas, who notched his third career double-double with 16 points and a career-high tying 12 rebounds. He shot 5-for-10 from the field while going 6-for-7 at the free-throw line.
- Sophomore guard
Dachon Burke contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals against the Seahawks, while off the bench freshman guard
Leondre Washington scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.
LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
Sacred Heart Tidbits - The Colonials posted their fifth straight win over the Pioneers and are 8-2 (.800) in their last 10 games against Sacred Heart ... In the all-time series, Robert Morris owns a 24-10 (.706) advantage ... Over a six-minute span late in the second half, RMU held SHU scoreless, forcing three turnovers and holding the Pioneers to 0-for-6 shooting from the field ... During that stretch, RMU posted a 15-0 run to turn a 48-46 deficit into a 61-48 advantage ... The Colonials posted a 36-34 advantage in points in the paint as well as a 35-34 edge on the glass ... RMU scored 26 points in the first half, tying a season low (@ Ohio State) ... Robert Morris also finished with just 13 fouls against Sacred Heart, a season low for the second consecutive game.
Settling In - Leondre Washington has been a spark for the Colonials off the bench in recent weeks, and in a 64-56 win over Sacred Heart (1/26/18) the rookie guard finished with 11 points, two assists and a steal. Washington enters Sunday's game having reached double figures in five of his last six games, averaging 10.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals during that span. Against Northeast Conference foes, Washington is tied for eighth in the circuit in free-throw percentage at 84.8 percent (28-for-33). Washington has posted at least one steal in each of his last six games and in league games is averaging 1.11 thefts per contest, which is tied for 11th in the NEC.
Defensively Speaking ... Robert Morris is 5-0 this season when holding opponents to less than 60 points. In eight years under head coach
Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 54-7 (.885) when turning the trick. Dating back to last season, RMU has won seven consecutive games when yielding under 60 points in a contest.
Flush - Freshman forward
Koby Thomas is proving to be extremely capable around the rim, as he has posted 27 dunks in 22 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).
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to a 64-56 win over Sacred Heart (1/26/18), the Colonials improved to 165-46 (.782) since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign when holding their opponent to under 70 points. Under
Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 112-38 (.747) when turning the trick. Overall the last 11 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 57.7 percent (211-of-366) of the time.
Start Me Up - Head coach
Andrew Toole, who is in his eighth year at the helm of the Colonials in 2017-18, employed 10 different starting lineups last season. Toole, who has won 147 games in eight seasons as head coach at Robert Morris, has used 66 different starting lineups during his tenure. That equates to an average of 2.23 victories per starting five. In 2017-18, Toole has employed four different starting lineups, as graduate transfer
Ronnie Gombe and redshirt freshman
David Cole have each started nine games at forward. The Colonials are 6-3 (.667) with either in the starting five.
Steal City - Robert Morris has consistently been at the top of the Northeast Conference leaderboard in steals throughout head coach
Andrew Toole's tenure, as the Colonials have topped the circuit five times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) under Toole and seven times in the last 10 years. Through 22 games of the 2017-18 campaign, RMU has compiled 175 steals, an average of 7.95 per game that ranks second in the NEC. Guard
Dachon Burke ranks second individually in the NEC with an average of 2.05 per game. Junior guard
Matty McConnell, RMU's active leader with 149 career thefts, ranks fifth in the circuit in steals with an average of 1.73 per contest.
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