GAME 28
Bryant (3-24 / 2-12 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (14-13 / 8-6 NEC)
Thursday, February 15, 2018 • 7:00 p.m.
A.J. Palumbo Center (4,390) • 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 opens its final homestand of the 2017-18 regular season Thursday by welcoming Bryant to the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
- The Colonials are playing eight home games at PPG Paints Arena and four at the A.J. Palumbo Center in 2017-18 while construction of the UPMC Events Center takes place on RMU's Moon Township campus. Thursday's game against the Bulldogs is the third of four contests at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
 
- RMU closed out a two-game road swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., by snapping a four-game losing streak with a 96-82 victory @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18). Sophomore guard Dachon Burke led four players in double figures for the Colonials with a career-high 29 points while also posting six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
 
- Junior guard Matty McConnell also established a career high in scoring against the Blackbirds with 23 points while registering five rebounds and three steals, while freshman forward Charles Bain contributed 14 points and six caroms. Freshman forward Koby Thomas chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game against Bryant leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percent defense (.324) and steals (7.74 per game) while ranking second in the circuit in turnover margin (+2.07) and offensive rebounds (12.52 per contest).
 
- Against Northeast Conference opposition, the Colonials enter Thursday's game leading the league in steals with an average of 7.50 per contest while ranking second in three-point field goal percent defense (.329) and offensive rebounds (12.57 per game).
 
- Robert Morris owns a record of 90-48 (.652) in eight seasons against Northeast Conference foes under head coach Andrew Toole. In those contests, the Colonials own identical records of 45-24 (.652) both at home and on the road.
 
- Freshman forward Charles Bain is averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in four games during the month of February while shooting 46.7 percent (14-for-30) from the field, including 53.8 percent (7-for-13) from beyond the arc. RMU has posted a record of 4-1 (.800) this season when Bain scores in double figures.
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke has scored at least 25 points on five occasions this season and has also scored in double figures in 24 of his 26 contests. He is looking to become the 17th player in school history with at least 25 double-figure scoring games in a season, including the seventh under head coach Andrew Toole.
 
- The Colonials enter Thursday's game having posted a record of 43-16 (.729) in the month of February in eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. Over the last 11 years, RMU owns a record of 63-22 (.741) in February.

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
LIU Brooklyn Tidbits - Robert Morris extended its winning streak over LIU Brooklyn to four with the victory and improved to 46-31 (.590) in the all-time series against the Blackbirds ... The Colonials established season highs in points (96), field goal percentage (.596) and three-point field goal percentage (.667) ... The 96 points are the most scored by RMU in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole ... The Colonials have scored at least 90 points against LIU Brooklyn a total of 12 times, with Robert Morris owning a mark of 8-4 (.667) in those contests ... The trio of Dachon Burke, Matty McConnell and Charles Bain combined to shoot 10-for-13 (76.9%) from beyond the arc ... Junior forward Seth Rouse played two minutes against the Blackbirds and posted two points and an offensive rebound ... Freshman guard Jon Williams tied a career-high with 38 minutes played.
 
February Flourish - Sophomore guard Dachon Burke established a career high in scoring for the second consecutive game in a 96-82 victory @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18) with 29 points. He finished 11-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, while also recording six rebounds and three steals. Burke enters Thursday's game against Bryant averaging 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds during the month of February while shooting 54.8 percent (34-for-62) from the field.
 
Weekly Honors - Thanks to averaging 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals while shooting 62.9 percent (22-for-59) from the field in RMU's annual swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., last week, sophomore guard Dachon Burke was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week (2/11/18) for the fourth time in 2017-18. Burke is the first Robert Morris student-athlete in program history to be named NEC Player of the Week four times in a season. In addition, RMU has earned nine NEC weekly honors this year, tying the school record originally established in 2014-15. Including Burke's four NEC Player of the Week nods, freshman forward Koby Thomas is a four-time NEC Rookie of the Week, while freshman guard Jon Williams was also tabbed NEC Rookie of the Week once.
 
Downtown - It's been an up-and-down year for Robert Morris in regard to its three-point shooting, as the Colonials have played an equal amount of games in which they have hit 10 or more three-pointers (9) compared to contests converting four or less. In a 96-82 victory @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18), RMU was on the upswing, hitting 10 triples. The Colonials improved to 39-10 (.796) in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game, including 5-4 (.556) in 2017-18.
 
Downtown Part Deux - Robert Morris shot 66.7 percent (10-for-15) from beyond the arc in a 96-82 win @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18), which is tied for fifth in the single-game record book. The Colonials also shot 66.7 percent (12-for-18) from deep in an 84-76 win over Ohio (12/1/12) as former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14) led the way with a perfect 8-for-8 performance. Four of the top 10 shooting performances in school history from beyond the three-point line have come under Andrew Toole. The best mark came against Toledo (12/7/13), when RMU shot 71.4 percent (10-for-14), which ranks fourth all time.
 
Did You Know? RMU owns a record of 8-3 (.727) in 2017-18 when at least two freshmen score in double figures in a game. Rookies Charles Bain (14) and Koby Thomas (11) were the latest to turn the trick in a 96-82 victory @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18) to help the Colonials snap a four-game losing streak.
 
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 52.7 percent (998-of-1,894) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 61.8 percent (1,170-of-1,894) of the points for Robert Morris this season.
 
Offensively Speaking - Thanks to shooting a season-high 59.6 percent (31-for-52) from the field in a 96-82 victory @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18), RMU improved to 39-5 (.886) when shooting 50 percent or better from the field in eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. Included in that stretch is a mark of 30-1 (.968) against NEC opponents. Broken down against league foes, Robert Morris is 27-1 (.964) in the regular season and 3-0 in the NEC Tournament.
 
Did You Know? In eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 88-35 (.715) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 33-5 (.868) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau.

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