GAME 26
Robert Morris (13-12 / 7-5 NEC) @ St. Francis Brooklyn (10-14 / 7-5 NEC)
Thursday, February 8, 2018 • 7:00 p.m.
Pope P.E. Center (1,200) • Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: SFCAthletics.com • NECFrontRow.com
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a two-game road swing through Brooklyn, N.Y., Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip at St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
- The Colonials suffered their third consecutive loss in concluding a four-game homestand at PPG Paints Arena with a 73-67 setback to Fairleigh Dickinson (2/3/18). Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced RMU with 18 points and also added eight rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.
 
- Freshman forward Koby Thomas contributed 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks against the Knights, while off the bench freshman forward Charles Bain finished with 15 points and four rebounds.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percent defense (.315) and steals (7.76 per game) while ranking second in the circuit in turnover margin (+2.00) and offensive rebounds (12.60 per contest).
 
- In Northeast Conference games, the Colonials lead the league in three-point field goal percent defense (.313), steals (7.50 per game) and offensive rebounds (12.75 per contest).
 
- Robert Morris dropped its second consecutive game with a 67-42 loss to Mount St. Mary's (2/1/18). Sophomore guard Dachon Burke finished with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season and third of his career. In his first career start, freshman guard Leondre Washington finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn with a record of 42-15 (.737) in the month of February in eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. Over the last 11 years, RMU owns a record of 62-21 (.747) in February.
 
- The Colonials concluded the month of January with a 5-3 (.625) record after a 77-64 loss to Wagner (1/28/18) at PPG Paints Arena. Robert Morris held a 42-32 edge at halftime but the Seahawks shot 64 percent (16-for-25) from the field in the second half in erasing a double-digit deficit.
 
- Freshman guard Leondre Washington paced the Colonials against Wagner with a career-high 20 points off the bench. He shot 7-for-12 from the field, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Matty McConnell added 19 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
 
- The Colonials opened their four-game homestand by earning a 64-56 victory over Sacred Heart (1/26/18). Robert Morris used a 15-0 run late in the second half to take control. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced RMU with 17 points and also finished with four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

LINKS:
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Fairleigh Dickinson Tidbits - The Colonials had a nine-game home winning streak against the Knights snapped with the setback, as FDU's previous win over RMU at home came with an 84-79 victory Feb. 1, 2007 at the Charles L. Sewall Center ... Robert Morris and Fairleigh Dickinson split the 2017-18 season series, with the Colonials owning a 45-32 (.584) advantage in the all-time series ... FDU owned a 40-34 edge on the glass, including a 15-9 advantage in offensive rebounds ... Robert Morris suffered 15 turnovers compared to 14 for the Knights, marking the first time in 2017-18 the Colonials finished with more turnovers than their opponent in back-to-back games.
 
Did You Know? RMU started the season 7-0 when at least two freshmen scored in double figures in a game but have since dropped three consecutive games when turning the trick.
 
Home On The Road - Robert Morris will look to get back in the win column Thursday, and playing on the road might be a help. The Colonials are 4-1 (.800) in Northeast Conference road games entering Thursday's tilt @ St. Francis Brooklyn and during that stretch have allowed just 61.6 points per game. RMU has held opponents to a shooting percentage of just 25 percent (21-for-84) from beyond the arc during that span and also own a +1.4 rebounding margin. Sophomore guard Dachon Burke has paced Robert Morris in league road games with averages of 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
 
The Stretch Run - Sophomore guard Dachon Burke paced the Colonials against Fairleigh Dickinson with a game-high 19 points while also recording eight rebounds, tying a career high with five assists and posting a pair of steals. Burke shot 7-for-12 from the field against the Knights, his best shooting performance (58.3%) since also shooting 7-for-12 in a 71-57 victory @ Central Connecticut (12/31/17). Burke enters Thursday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn having averaged 15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in February.
 
The Dark Knight Rises - Charles Bain came off the bench to provide a spark against Fairleigh Dickinson (2/3/18) as Robert Morris concluded a four-game homestand, as the freshman forward contributed 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed four rebounds in playing a career-high 24 minutes. Bain becoming a consistent threat for the Colonials from beyond the arc could be a big boost, as he enters Thursday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn having shot 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from deep in his last five games. RMU is 3-1 (.750) this season when Bain scores in double figures.
 
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 53.5 percent (928-of-1,733) of RMU's scoring output. Overall, newcomers have scored 63.2 percent (1,096-of-1,733) of the points for Robert Morris this season.
 
Flush - Freshman forward Koby Thomas is proving to be extremely capable around the rim, as he has posted 30 dunks in 25 games this season. The most dunks in a season by an RMU student-athlete in eight years under head coach Andrew Toole is 30, which came in 2015-16 by forward Billy Giles (2015-17).

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