GAME 30
Robert Morris (15-14 / 9-7 NEC) @ Mount St. Mary's (16-13 / 10-6 NEC)
Thursday, February 22, 2018 • 7:00 p.m.
Knott Arena (3,500) • Emmitsburg, Md.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Talent: Dave Popkin (pxp), Joe DeSantis (color) & John Schmeelk (sideline)
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes its 2017-18 regular season with a pair of road games this week, beginning Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Mount St. Mary's at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Md.
 
- The Colonials concluded the home portion of their 2017-18 slate with a 65-58 loss to Central Connecticut (2/17/18) at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke was the only player to reach double figures, finishing with a game-high 24 points while adding four assists and three steals.
 
- 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 Thursday's game @ Mount St. Mary's leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percent defense (.317) and steals (7.90 per game) while being tied for first in turnover margin (+2.21). The Colonials also rank second in the circuit in scoring defense (70.7 ppg) and offensive rebounds (12.41 per contest).
 
- Against Northeast Conference opposition, the Colonials enter Thursday's game leading the league in three-point field goal percent defense (.317) and steals (7.81 per game) while ranking second in scoring defense (69.5 ppg) and offensive rebounds (12.38 per game).
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke has scored at least 25 points on six occasions this season and has also scored in double figures in 26 of his 28 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.
 
- Robert Morris has played as many games this season (10) hitting at least 10 three-pointers compared to games converting four or less triples. The Colonials are 6-4 (.600) when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game in 2017-18 and 2-8 (.200) when hitting four or less.
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke (2.11 per game) and junior guard Matty McConnell (1.86) rank first and second, respectively, in the Northeast Conference in steals.

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Live Stats
 
Central Connecticut Tidbits - Robert Morris slipped to 24-17 (.585) in the all-time series against the Blue Devils ... The Colonials are 3-5 (.375) at home against CCSU in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole but are 5-1 (.833) against the Blue Devils on the road in the same span ... Central Connecticut owned a 46-32 edge on the glass, including a 12-9 advantage in offensive caroms, and also outscored RMU, 36-22, in points in the paint ... RMU posted its worst rebounding margin (-14) of the season against a Northeast Conference opponent against the Blue Devils ... In its last four losses, the Colonials have converted just 21.9 percent (18-for-82) of their attempts from beyond the arc after a 4-for-17 performance against CCSU.  
 
Grand Theft Auto - Junior guard Matty McConnell posted a season-high five steals against Central Connecticut (2/17/18) as RMU concluded the home portion of its 2017-18 schedule. The performance helped him crack the top 10 for career steals in the Robert Morris record book, as he owns 163 career thefts. Former forward Lucky Jones (2011-15) ranks ninth in school history with 171 career steals. McConnell, who ranks second in the Northeast Conference in steals this season with an average of 1.86 per game, owns a career average of 1.81 thefts per contest with 163 in 90 career games.  
 
Fantastic February - Dachon Burke is in the groove offensively for Robert Morris, as the sophomore guard enters Thursday's game @ Mount St. Mary's have eclipsed the 20-point plateau in each of his last four games after leading the Colonials against Central Connecticut (2/17/18) with 24 points. During the last four games, Burke is averaging 26.8 points per game while shooting 65.1 percent (41-for-63) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from beyond the arc. During the month of February, Burke is supplying RMU with averages of 22.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 58.9 percent (53-for-90) from the field, including 44 percent (11-for-25) from deep.
 
Two Pair - As Robert Morris heads out on its final road trip of the 2017-18 regular season this week, a pair of Colonials have a chance to make history Thursday @ Mount St. Mary's. Koby Thomas and Jon Williams, both rookies, are the only players to have started each of RMU's 29 games in 2017-18. Should they both be a member of the starting lineup against the Mount, the duo will tie the school record for starts by a freshman. The record is held by former guard Velton Jones (2008-13), who earned 30 starts in 2009-10. The overall school record for starts in a season is 37, established by former guard Coron Williams (2009-13) during the 2011-12 campaign.
 
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 52.2 percent (1,063-of-2,035) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 61.1 percent (1,243-of-2,035) of the points for Robert Morris this season.

Steal 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 topped the circuit five times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) under Toole and seven times in the last 10 years. Through 29 games of the 2017-18 campaign, RMU has compiled 229 steals, an average of 7.90 per game that leads the NEC. Guard Dachon Burke paces the NEC individually with an average of 2.11 per game. Junior guard Matty McConnell, RMU's active leader with 163 career thefts, paces the circuit against league foes with an average of 2.07 per contest.

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