GAME 8
Robert Morris (4-3) @ Drexel (3-4)
Saturday, December 1, 2018 • 2:00 p.m.
Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,509) • Philadelphia, Pa.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: DrexelDragons.com • StretchInternet.com  
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team christens its December slate on the first day of the month by opening a two-game road trip Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. tip against Drexel at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
- The Colonials, winners of four of their last five, improved to 3-0 at home for the first time since 2012-13 by recording a 76-56 victory over Youngstown State (11/28/18) at the North Athletic Complex. Senior forward Malik Petteway came off the bench to lead five players in double figures with 16 points. He also grabbed six rebounds.
 
- Senior guards Josh Williams and Matty McConnell, as well as sophomore guard Jon Williams, each scored 12 points in the win over the Penguins, combining to go 7-for-16 from beyond the arc while also compiling nine assists and seven steals. Off the bench, sophomore forward Koby Thomas scored 10 points.
 
- RMU enters Saturday's game @ Drexel leading the Northeast Conference in field goal percent defense (.425), turnover margin (+3.00) and three-point field goals made per game (9.57) while ranking second in the circuit in scoring defense (69.3 ppg), free-throw percentage (.756), three-point field goal percent defense (.320), assists (15.57), steals (8.00) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.15).
 
- The Colonials had their winning streak snapped at three in their last road contest as No. 24/19 Purdue posted an 84-46 win at Mackey Arena (11/23/18). Senior forward Malik Petteway was the lone player from RMU to score in double figures, as he finished with 10 points off the bench, shooting 4-for-8 from the field while knocking down both of his attempts at the free-throw line. He also grabbed three rebounds.
 
- Robert Morris closed out play in the 2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic with an 81-72 victory @ Stetson (11/19/18). In their first road win of the season, the Colonials fell behind in the first half, 28-20, before charging back to take the lead at halftime, 38-36, en route to the win. The Colonials posted a 2-2 (.500) record in the tournament.
 
- Senior guard Josh Williams led four players in double figures in the triumph over the Hatters with 18 points. He shot 6-for-10 from the floor, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
 
- Senior forward Malik Petteway chipped in 17 points off the bench in the victory @ Stetson (11/19/18), while sophomore forward Koby Thomas contributed 16 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Senior guard Matty McConnell added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
 
- In the 2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, Robert Morris was led by senior forward Malik Petteway, who averaged a team-high 13.5 points per game while shooting 73.3 percent (22-for-30) from the floor in four games.

DREXEL LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Youngstown State Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 11-8 (.579) all-time against the Penguins and have won two straight in the series ... Kendale Hampton of YSU scored a game-high 21 points on the strength of a 7-for-12 performance from beyond the arc ... Hampton's 18 points in the first 20 minutes are the most points scored by an opponent in a half this season ... The Colonials used a 19-0 run in the second half to break open a one-point game at halftime, as Youngstown State didn't hit its first field goal after halftime until the 12:11 mark of the second half ... The Penguins missed their first six shots in the second stanza while suffering two turnovers ... Senior guard Josh Williams posted a +23 in the victory, the highest of any member of the Colonials.
 
A Sense Of Calm - Head coach Andrew Toole appointed the same five student-athletes as starters in each of RMU's first seven games of the season, as Matty McConnell, Jon Williams and Josh Williams have been penciled in at guard, while Charles Bain and Yannis Mendy have started at forward. It's the longest stretch to start a season under Toole with the same starting lineup since 2011-12, when the same starting five got the nod in RMU's first 10 contests of the season.
 
Bench Brigade - A distinct possibility as to why head coach Andrew Toole has used the same starting lineup in each of RMU's first seven games in 2018-19 is because of the production the Colonials are getting from their bench. Robert Morris has had at least one student-athlete come in as a reserve and score in double figures in five of the seven contests. In those games, RMU is 3-2 (.600). The Colonials enter Saturday's game @ Drexel receiving an average of 28.4 points per contest from their bench, and in the last five games that average jumps up to 30.0 points per game.
 
Forward Momentum - Malik Petteway has been the main offensive stalwart off the bench for Robert Morris, as the senior forward has scored in double figures in each of his last four games, the longest active streak by a member of the Colonials. During that span, Petteway is averaging 17.3 points and 5.8 while shooting 64.3 percent (27-for-42) from the floor. Petteway ranks second in the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage (.630) and has also converted 80.8 percent (21-for-26) of his attempts at the free-throw line, which ranks 11th in the circuit.
 
The Steel 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 led the league in steals in each of the last three years as well as six times overall. Individually, RMU returned the top picket in the league from last year in senior guard Matty McConnell. So far in 2018-19, McConnell ranks second in the NEC in thefts with an average of 2.29 per contest thanks to 16 steals in seven games. As a team, Robert Morris also ranks second, posting an average of 8.00 pilfers per contest.
 
Defensively Speaking - Robert Morris has won 11 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 60 points dating back to the 2016-17 season after a 76-56 victory over Youngstown State (11/28/18) that improved the Colonials to 3-0 at home at the North Athletic Complex. In nine years under head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 58-7 (.892) when turning the trick. The last loss for RMU when yielding under 60 points was a 48-47 setback @ Mount St. Mary's (1/26/17).
 
Grand Theft Auto - Senior guard Matty McConnell is just nine steals shy of becoming the eighth player in school history to eclipse 200 career thefts. He would be the fifth student-athlete to accomplish the feat that has been coached by Andrew Toole, a list that also includes Tony Lee (2004-08), Jeremy Chappell (2005-09), Velton Jones (2008-13) and Kavon Stewart (2013-17).

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