GAME 10
Siena (3-6) vs. Robert Morris (4-5)
Saturday, December 8, 2018 • 4:00 p.m.
North Athletic Complex (1,000) • Moon Township, Pa.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: RMUColonials.com • NECFrontRow.com 
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team returns to the North Athletic Complex looking to snap a two-game slide and stay perfect at home by welcoming Siena Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. tip.
 
- The Colonials concluded a two-game road swing in Buffalo, N.Y., with a 68-62 loss @ Canisius (12/5/18). RMU shot just 33.3 percent from the field, tying a season low for field goals with 17. In a game that featured four ties and 11 lead changes, the Golden Griffins grabbed the lead for good with 9:43 to play on a Jordan Henderson jumper.
 
- Senior guard Josh Williams paced Robert Morris by scoring a game-high 17 points @ Canisius (12/5/18). He finished 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and enters Saturday's game ranked seventh in the Northeast Conference in free throw percentage (.826).
 
- Sophomore forward Charles Bain contributed 12 points against the Golden Griffins, while junior forward Yannis Mendy tied a career high with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a 1-for-2 performance at the free-throw line.
 
- Robert Morris ranks in the top three in a whopping nine categories in the Northeast Conference entering Saturday's game against Siena. In addition to leading the circuit in turnover ratio (+2.89), the Colonials rank second in scoring defense (70.6), free-throw percentage (.729), field goal percent defense (.435), assists (14.67), steals (8.00) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08) while sitting third in three-point field goal percent defense (.328) and three-point field goals made per game (8.89).
 
- Over the last four games, guards Matty McConnell and Jon Williams have combined for 31 assists against 12 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.58. Williams owns 18 assists during that span, while McConnell has recorded 13 dimes.
 
- The Colonials opened their two-game road swing by dropping an 82-69 decision @ Drexel (12/1/18). Senior guard Josh Williams led RMU with 15 points and also added five rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
- Senior guard Matty McConnell contributed 14 points, four rebounds and four assists against the Dragons, while Charles Bain also scored 14 points while grabbing three rebounds.
 
- The Colonials 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.
 
SIENA LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats

Canisius Tidbits - The Golden Griffins swept the home-and-home series from the Colonials, but RMU still owns a 6-3 (.667) edge in the all-time series ... RMU converted just 33.3 percent (17-of-51) of its attempts from the field, the fourth time in six road games Robert Morris has failed to shoot at least 35 percent ... On the flipside, the Colonials shot a season-high 54.2 percent (26-for-48) from the floor in an 81-72 win @ Stetson (11/19/18) ... RMU went seven minutes without a field goal late in the contest and yet it was still a one-possession contest during five minutes of that stretch ... Senior forward Malik Petteway recorded a team-high eight rebounds ... Senior guard Matty McConnell established a season high with four steals against the Golden Griffins ... McConnell moved into a tie for eighth place all-time at Robert Morris for career starts (94) with Keith Jones (1995-99) and Lucky Jones (2011-15).
 
Home Cooking - Robert Morris will look to get back in the win column and snap a two-game slide Saturday with some home cooking. The Colonials are 3-0 at the North Athletic Complex and during that stretch have held each of their opponents under 60 points, yielding an average of just 57.3 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 34.8 percent (57-for-164) at the NAC, including 25.8 percent (17-for-66) from beyond the arc. Offensively, senior guard Josh Williams is averaging 24.7 points per game at home and is shooting 55 percent (22-for-40) from deep, while senior forward Malik Petteway has produced averages of 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.
 
2-for-3 - Thanks to a 3-for-8 performance from beyond the arc @ Canisius (12/5/18), senior guard Josh Williams became just the third student-athlete in program history to hit at least two three-pointers in seven consecutive games. He joins former guards Scott Shepherd (1988-91) and Karvel Anderson (2012-14) in turning the trick. Shepherd had streaks of seven and eight consecutive games, respectively, during the 1989-90 campaign, while Anderson holds the record of nine straight games during his first season in an RMU uniform in 2012-13. Williams ranks fourth in NCAA Division I with an average of 4.33 three-pointers made per game.
 
Dig In - Yannis Mendy seems to be getting comfortable in his role as a starting forward for the Colonials. The junior tied a career high with nine points @ Canisius (12/5/18) and enters Saturday's game against Siena averaging 8.7 points over his last three games while shooting 63.2 percent (12-for-19) from the field. In his first six games of the year, Mendy scored a total of 11 points on 40 percent (6-for-15) shooting.
 
Toe The Line - Senior guard Josh Williams and his younger brother, Jon Williams, have each gotten off to a solid start in their first season playing together at the college level in converting at the free-throw line. Josh Williams finished a perfect 8-for-8 at the chalk @ Canisius (12/5/18) and ranks seventh in the Northeast Conference in free-throw percentage (.826) entering Saturday's game against Siena. Jon Williams, meanwhile, opened the year by converting each of his first 11 attempts at the stripe and is 15-for-16 (93.8%) on the season. Combined, the duo are 34-for-39 (87.2%) at the free-throw line this season.
 
A Sense Of Calm - Head coach Andrew Toole appointed the same five student-athletes as starters in each of RMU's first nine 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.
 
Comeback Kids - Robert Morris has made a habit of climbing out of double-digit deficits under Andrew Toole, and for the first time in 2018-19 the Colonials turned the trick @ Canisius (12/5/18). RMU fell behind, 29-19, with 4:11 to go in the first half against the Golden Griffins but charged back to grab the lead in the second half. It was part of a contest that featured four ties and 11 lead changes. It marked the 27th time under Toole the Colonials have erased a double-digit deficit in his eight seasons as head coach. On 24 of those occasions Robert Morris has earned a victory.

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