GAME 29
Central Connecticut (12-16 / 5-10 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (15-13 / 9-6 NEC)
Saturday, February 17, 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 concludes the home portion of its 2017-18 regular-season slate Saturday when its hosts Central Connecticut for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University.
 
- 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. Saturday's game against the Blue Devils is the fourth of four contests at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
 
- RMU opened its two-game homestand with an 83-60 victory over Bryant (2/15/18) at the Palumbo Center. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke led four players in double figures for the Colonials with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. He also added five boards, three assists and two steals.
 
- The win over Bryant helped Robert Morris clinch a berth in the 2018 Northeast Conference Tournament. The Colonials have qualified for the NEC Tournament 15 consecutive years, the longest active streak in the league.
 
- In the win over the Bulldogs, freshman forward Koby Thomas contributed 15 points and a game-high tying eight rebounds, junior guard Matty McConnell finished with 13 points, six boards, two assists and two blocks, and freshman guard Jon Williams notched 11 points and seven assists.
 
- Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against Central Connecticut leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percent defense (.319), steals (7.75 per game) and turnover margin (+2.07) while ranking second in the circuit in scoring defense (70.9 ppg) and offensive rebounds (12.54 per contest).
 
- Against Northeast Conference opposition, the Colonials enter Saturday's game leading the league in three-point field goal percent defense (.321), steals (7.53 per game) and offensive rebounds (12.60 per contest) while ranking second in scoring defense, yielding an average of 69.8 points per game.
 
- Junior guard Matty McConnell is averaging 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games during the month of February. RMU owns a record of 12-3 (.800) in 2017-18 when McConnell scores in double figures.
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke has scored at least 25 points on six occasions this season and has also scored in double figures in 25 of his 27 contests. He is 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 Saturday's game having posted a record of 44-16 (.733) in the month of February in eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. Over the last 11 years, RMU owns a record of 64-22 (.744) in February.

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Bryant Tidbits - Robert Morris swept the season series from Bryant in improving to 14-4 (.778) against the Bulldogs in the all-time series ... RMU set a season high with 46 points in the first half ... Freshman forward Charles Bain tied for game-high honors in rebounds by establishing a career high with eight ... The Colonials owned advantages over the Bulldogs in points in the paint (32-30), points off turnovers (24-13) and second-chance points (15-7) ... Four players reached double figures in scoring for Robert Morris in the victory, helping the Colonials improve to 9-1 (.900) this season when at least four student-athletes score 10 or more points.
 
Fantastic February - Sophomore guard Dachon Burke continued his offensive outburst in an 83-60 victory over Bryant (2/15/18) by leading the Colonials with 27 points. He connected on 11 of his 14 shots from the floor against the Bulldogs, including a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. During the month of February, Burke is supplying RMU with averages of 22.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 59.2 percent (45-for-76) from the field, including 47.6 percent (10-for-21) from deep. What's even more impressive is that Burke has been even better in the last four games. He enters Saturday's game against Central Connecticut averaging 25.5 points during that span while shooting 65.6 percent (40-for-61) from the floor, including 62.5 percent (10-for-16) from deep.
 
Downtown - It's been an up-and-down year for Robert Morris in regard to its three-point shooting, but the Colonials are on the upswing in the last two games. In wins @ LIU Brooklyn (2/10/18) and over Bryant (2/15/18), RMU combined to go 21-for-36 (58.3%) from beyond the arc. Thanks to 11 three-pointers in an 83-60 victory over the Bulldogs, the Colonials improved to 40-10 (.800) in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game, including 6-4 (.600) in 2017-18.
 
Did You Know? RMU owns a record of 9-3 (.750) in 2017-18 when at least two freshmen score in double figures in a game. Rookies Koby Thomas (15) and Jon Williams (11) were the latest to turn the trick in an 83-60 victory over Bryant (2/15/18).
 
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 52.4 percent (1,036-of-1,977) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 61.3 percent (1,213-of-1,977) of the points for Robert Morris this season.
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to an 83-60 win over Bryant (2/15/18), the Colonials improved to 166-47 (.779) since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign when holding their opponent to under 70 points. Under Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 113-39 (.743) when turning the trick. Overall the last 11 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 57.3 percent (213-of-372) of the time.
 
Did You Know? In eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 89-35 (.718) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 34-5 (.872) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau.
 
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