GAME 16
St. Francis Brooklyn (5-9 / 2-0 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (8-7 / 2-0 NEC)
Thursday, January 4, 2018 • 7:00 p.m.
A.J. Palumbo Center (4,390) • Pittsburgh, Pa.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: RMUColonials.com • NECFrontRow.com
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team hits the midway point of its 2017-18 campaign Thursday by opening the home portion of its Northeast Conference slate against St. Francis Brooklyn at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University. Tip time is 7:00 p.m.
 
- The Colonials are 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. Thursday's game against the Terriers is the second of four at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
 
- RMU closed out a two-game road trip to open its league slate with a 71-57 victory @ Central Connecticut State (12/31/17). The win helped the Colonials improve to 2-0 in Northeast Conference play for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.
 
- The win over Central Connecticut State (12/31/17) concluded a stretch in which Robert Morris played 12 of its first 15 games on the road. A total of nine of RMU's final 16 regular-season contests will come at home.
 
- Freshman forward Charles Bain came off the bench to lead Robert Morris in its victory over the Blue Devils with a career-high 18 points in 20 minutes. He shot 7-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. Bain also tallied four rebounds.
 
- Also reaching double figures for RMU in the win @ Central Connecticut State was sophomore guard Dachon Burke, who finished with 16 points and also tallied three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn leading the Northeast Conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 70.0 points per game. The Colonials are also tops in the NEC in turnover margin (+3.13).
 
- The Colonials christened their Northeast Conference schedule with a 68-54 victory @ Bryant (12/29/17). Junior guard Matty McConnell led four players in double figures scoring for RMU with a game-high 18 points while also grabbing six rebounds and posting a pair of blocks.
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke contributed 15 points in the win over the Bulldogs, freshman guard Jon Williams scored 13 and freshman guard Leondre Washington provided 10 points off the bench. Burke added six rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals, while Williams also posted two assists and a steal.
 
- Freshman forward Koby Thomas has scored at least 20 points in five of his first 15 collegiate games and is just fifth rookie in program history to eclipse the 20-point plateau at least five times as a true freshman. Thomas joins Marcquise Reed (10), Myron Walker (8), Karon Abraham (6) and Jeremy Chappell (5).

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Central Connecticut State Tidbits - Robert Morris won its fifth consecutive game at Detrick Gymnasium with the victory and improved to 24-16 (.600) in the all-time series against CCSU ... The 16 field goals by the Blue Devils were the fewest by an RMU opponent this season ... Each of the 13 active student-athletes on the Robert Morris roster saw action ... The Colonials outscored the Blue Devils, 28-22, in points in the paint ... RMU matched its largest lead of the year in the second half (+25), owning a 63-38 lead with 8:04 to play ... Robert Morris also owned a 25-point advantage (75-50) in the second half of a 75-53 win over Norfolk State (11/24/17) in the Grand Canyon Classic. 
 
The Dark Knight Rises - Freshman forward Charles Bain came off the bench and put forth the best game of his young career in a 71-57 victory @ Central Connecticut State (12/31/17), leading the way with a career-high 18 points while grabbing four rebounds. Bain finished 7-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-4 from deep, and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. In RMU's 15 games in 2017-18, Bain became the sixth different member of the Colonials to lead the team in scoring. To put his performance in perspective, Bain had scored a total of 17 points in his previous seven games.
 
Defense In Depth - RMU opened its Northeast Conference slate with a pair of stout defensive performances, allowing an average of just 55.5 points in road victories over Bryant (12/29/17) and Central Connecticut State (12/31/17) while holding opponents to a shooting percentage of 33 percent (35-for-106), including 25 percent (8-for-32) from deep. It marks just the second time in school history the Colonials have allowed fewer than 60 points in its first two league games as well as the first time on the road. In 2011-12, the second season for head coach Andy Toole, Robert Morris posted a 66-54 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (12/1/11) and a 69-51 victory over Monmouth (12/3/11), both at the Charles L. Sewall Center, to open its league slate.
 
More Defense To Digest - Robert Morris is 4-0 this season when holding opponents to less than 60 points. In eight years under head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 53-7 (.883) when turning the trick. Dating back to last season, RMU has won six consecutive games when yielding under 60 points in a contest.
 
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 51.6 percent (539-of-1,044) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 64 percent (669-of-1,044) of the points for Robert Morris in 2017-18.
 
Taking What The Defense Gives - Freshman guard Jon Williams has found his stroke from beyond the arc over the last month and he has quickly become RMU's most accurate shot from deep. Over the last nine games, Williams has knocked down 57.9 percent (22-for-38) of his three-point attempts and during that stretch is supplying the Colonials with an average of 9.3 points per game. The Colonials are 3-1 (.750) this season when Williams reaches double figures in scoring, and he enters Thursday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn ranked fifth in the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.441).
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to a 71-57 win @ Central Connecticut (12/31/17), RMU improved to 163-45 (.784) since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign when holding their opponent to under 70 points. Under Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 110-37 (.748) when turning the trick. Overall in the last 11 years, the Colonials have held their opponent to under 70 points 57.9 percent (208-of-359) of the time.

Follow The Colonials: Twitter | Instagram

Tweet #GRIT