GAME 2
Robert Morris (0-1) @ Missouri State (1-0)
2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
Friday, November 9, 2018 • 8:00 p.m.
JQH Arena (11,000) • Springfield, Mo.
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
TV: ESPN3
Talent: Ned Reynolds (pxp) & Kelby Stuckey (color) 
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes a two-road trip to open its 2018-19 season by continuing play in the 2018 National College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic with an 8:00 p.m. EST tip against Missouri State at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.
 
- The Colonials opened their 43rd NCAA Division I season and 2018-19 campaign with an 83-62 loss @ USC (11/6/18). RMU led, 53-49, with 12:17 to play but were outscored, 34-9, over the final 12 minutes of the contest.
 
- In his Robert Morris debut, senior guard Josh Williams led the Colonials with 20 points while also grabbing three rebounds and three assists. He shot 7-for-17 from the floor, including 4-for-12 from the arc.
 
- Sophomore forward Koby Thomas registered his fourth career double-double off the bench against the Trojans, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Of his 10 caroms, three came on the offensive glass.
 
- Led by ninth-year head coach Andrew Toole, RMU returns four starters and nine letterwinners from a 2017-18 squad that finished with an overall record of 16-17 (.485), including a mark of 9-9 (.500) in the Northeast Conference.
 
- The Colonials entered the 2018-19 campaign returning 62 percent (1,409-of-2,272) of their scoring, 61.4 percent (724-of-1,179) of their rebounding and 64.9 percent (248-of-382) of their assists.
 
- Robert Morris was picked fifth in the 2018 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Robert Morris has never been the preseason favorite in the poll despite owning a league-high eight NEC Tournament titles, the last of which came in 2015.
 
- RMU is one of 23 mid-major programs to average 20 victories over the last 11 years. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign, the Colonials are 223-153 (.592), an average of 20.3 wins a year and tied with Oakland.
 
- Senior guard Matty McConnell is RMU's active leader in games played (95), starts (86), points (784), assists (207) and steals (177). He failed to score in the 2018-19 season opener @ USC (11/6/18) but tied a career high with 10 rebounds and added a game-high seven assists. Last season, McConnell averaged 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while ranking third in the NEC in steals per game (2.00).
 
- Sophomore forward Koby Thomas was named the 2018 NEC Rookie of the Year in a vote of league head coaches. He produced averages of 12.0 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds as a freshman in 2017-18.
 
- Thomas and fellow rookie guard Jon Williams each started all 33 games for Robert Morris in 2017-18, establishing a school record for starts by a freshman. Williams posted averages of 6.7 points and 3.5 assists per game. 

MISSOURI STATE LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats

USC Tidbits - The Trojans outscored the Colonials, 34-9, after Robert Morris grabbed a 53-49 lead with 12:17 to play ... RMU was down, 55-53, with 9:24 left ... The meeting between Robert Morris and USC marked just the second in program history between the two programs and the first since 1991 ... Making their collegiate debut against the Trojans for the Colonials was junior forward Yannis Mendy and freshman guards Cameron Wilbon and Dante Treacy ... Junior forward Malik Petteway and Wilbon each scored eight points off the bench for Robert Morris ... The Colonials outscored the Trojans in points off turnovers  (14-10) and second-chance points (15-9) ... USC, meanwhile, held slight edges in points in the paint (38-30), bench points (33-32) and fast-break points (18-16) ... Brothers Josh Williams and Jon Williams combined for seven assists against just one turnover and were a combined 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
 
The Senior - Matty McConnell entered his final season of eligibility in 2018-19 as RMU's active leading scorer with 784 points. The Pittsburgh, Pa., product will look to become the 25th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points this season. Based on a 31-game regular season schedule, McConnell needs to average 7.2 points per game to become the first 1,000-point scorer at Robert Morris since 2016.
 
The Last Man Standing - Sophomore guard Jon Williams, along with sophomore forward Koby Thomas, established a freshman record for starts in 2017-18 with 33. Thomas came off the bench in RMU's 2018-19 season opener @ USC, leaving Williams as RMU's active leader for consecutive starts at 34. Williams and Thomas, along with forwards Charles Bain and Chris Coalmon, also own the longest active streak for consecutive games played at Robert Morris with 34.
 
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The Emerald Isle
 
For the first time in program history, Robert Morris took part in a foreign tour, traveling to Ireland in August of 2018 for a nine-day, three-game trip. The venture to Ireland marked the first time the Colonials have taken advantage of an NCAA rule that allows basketball programs to go on an international trip once every four years. RMU posted a perfect 3-0 record during its swing through the Emerald Isle, with sophomore forward Koby Thomas leading Robert Morris with averages of 25.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The Colonials took advantage playing under FIBA international rules, which include four 10-minute quarters and a 24-second shot clock. As a team, RMU posted a scoring offense of 101.7 points per game in their three victories. A breakdown of each of the three wins ...
 
Robert Morris 105, Neptune 66 (8/9/18) - Leading, 49-43, at halftime, RMU took control by holding Neptune to just 10 points in the third quarter in opening up an 83-53 lead in Cork, Ireland ... The Colonials hit seven three-pointers in the third quarter, including three each from guards Matty McConnell and Josh Williams ... Overall in the contest, Robert Morris drained 13 triples ... Four of RMU's five starters scored in double figures, led by McConnell with 21 points ... Sophomore forward Koby Thomas scored 20, sophomore forward Charles Bain added 19 and Williams finished with all 12 of his points in the second half.
 
Robert Morris 104, Moycullen 69 (8/12/18) - In the opening frame, Moycullen hit seven three-pointers in grabbing a 28-18 lead after the first quarter before eventually stretching its lead to 34-22 in Galway, Ireland ... The Colonials clamped down defensively, using a 28-8 run in the final six and-a-half minutes of the second quarter to grab a 50-42 lead at halftime ... RMU eventually stretched its run to 50-13 in the third quarter to own a 77-52 advantage entering the final stanza ... Sophomore forward Koby Thomas finished with 25 points to pace the Colonials, and he was joined in double figures by senior guard Matty McConnell (17), sophomore forward Charles Bain (15), senior forward Seth Rouse (11) and sophomore guard Jon Williams (10) ... McConnell added eight rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals ... Robert Morris finished the game with 20 assists and seven steals.
 
Robert Morris 96, Killester 84 (8/16/18) - RMU concluded its first foreign tour in program history with a win, grabbing a 30-20 lead after the first quarter in Dublin, Ireland ... Sophomore forward Koby Thomas scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half as the Colonials grabbed a 44-36 lead at halftime ... Twice in the third quarter Killester trimmed its deficit to five before RMU used a 17-4 run to open up a 72-54 advantage after three quarters ... Thomas scored 11 of RMU's first 15 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win and finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds in the victory ... Senior guard Matty McConnell scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half ... Senior guard Josh Williams scored 11 points, while sophomore forward Chris Coalmon contributed 10.
 
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