GAME 21
Wagner (9-9, 4-3 NEC) vs. RMU (11-9, 6-1 NEC)
Saturday, January 26, 2019 • 5:00 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 
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team, winners of three consecutive games and seven of eight, continues a three-game homestand at the North Athletic Complex Saturday with a 5:00 p.m. tip against Wagner.
 
- The Colonials opened their three-game homestand with a 72-64 victory over Sacred Heart (1/24/19). Senior guard Matty McConnell led the way with a season-high 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-for-5 from deep, and a 4-for-6 performance at the free-throw line. He also added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the win.
 
- Sophomore forward Charles Bain finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in the win over the Pioneers, while senior guard Josh Williams scored 10 points. RMU shot a season-high 84.2 percent at the free-throw line in the victory, converting 16 of its 19 attempts, including a 4-for-4 performance from Josh Williams.
 
- Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against Wagner leading the Northeast Conference in scoring defense (67.0 ppg) and scoring margin (+2.7) while ranking second in the circuit in three-point field goal percentage (.365), three-point field goal percent defense (.326), rebounding defense (33.5 rpg), assists (14.15 per game), steals (8.10 per game) and turnover margin (+1.40).
 
- Against Northeast Conference opposition, the Colonials lead the league in scoring defense (62.6 ppg), three-point field goal percentage (.360), rebounding defense (30.0 rpg) and steals (9.14 per game).

- RMU concluded a four-game road trip with a 70-59 victory @ Central Connecticut (1/21/19). Senior guard Josh Williams led four Colonials in double figures scoring with 15 points while also dishing out three assists. Sophomore forward Charles Bain scored 12 of his 13 points against the Blue Devils in the second half.
 
- Senior guard Matty McConnell contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals in RMU's win over the Blue Devils, while off the bench senior forward Malik Petteway registered 11 points, a game-high nine boards, a career-high three assists, two blocks and two steals.
 
- Robert Morris posted a 3-1 (.750) record during its four-game road trip, holding opponents to an average of 63.2 points per game. Senior guard Josh Williams paced the Colonials during their swing, averaging 13.8 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 43.6 percent (17-for-39) from the field, including 45.8 percent (11-for-24) from deep.
 
- Head coach Andrew Toole owns the highest winning percentage (.633) in games decided by five points or less (minimum 50 games) during the KenPom era (2002 to present). In nine seasons under Toole, the Colonials have posted a record of 57-33 in games decided by five points or less, including 2-1 in 2018-19.

WAGNER LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Sacred Heart Tidbits - Robert Morris has won six consecutive games against the Pioneers and overall leads the all-time series, 25-10 (.714) ... The Colonials never trailed in the contest, jumping out leads of 5-0, 16-4 and 21-7 ... RMU owned its biggest lead, 52-36, with 14:12 to play ... For the first time against a Northeast Conference opponent in 2018-19, the opposing bench outscored the Robert Morris reserves, 21-11 ... Zach Radz had a game-high 17 points for the Pioneers off the bench ... The Colonials held a 30-26 edge in points in the paint and outscored SHU, 17-13, in points off turnovers ... RMU suffered 21 turnovers in the contest compared to 15 for the Pioneers.
 
Home On The Range - Senior guard Matty McConnell led Robert Morris to its third consecutive win in a 72-64 victory over Sacred Heart (1/24/19) with a season-high 19 points and is comfortable with his surroundings at the North Athletic Complex. McConnell has reached double figures in scoring in each of the last six home games, averaging 15.0 points and 4.2 rebounds over that span while shooting 56.9 percent (29-for-51) from the field, including 53.6 percent (15-for-28) from beyond the arc. Overall this season, McConnell has scored at a 13.4 points per game clip in home contests.
 
The Senior - Matty McConnell, RMU's active leading scorer with 973 career points, needs just 24 points to become the 25th member of the Robert Morris 1,000-Point Club. Over the last two seasons, the Colonials have compiled a record of 22-7 (.759) when McConnell scores in double figures.
 
Creating & Creating - Sophomore guard Jon Williams has settled in directing the offense for Robert Morris this season, and that bore fruit in RMU's 72-64 victory over Sacred Heart (1/24/19) when he tallied the first double-digit assist game of his career. Williams handed out 10 assists in the win over the Pioneers and since the beginning of December, a stretch of 13 games, he is averaging 4.53 assists per game to go along with a 1.97 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
The Shadows Betray You - Charles Bain knows when to pick his spots. Lately, those spots have shown the ball going in the basketball for the sophomore forward. In a 72-64 victory over Sacred Heart (1/24/19), Bain shot 6-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line for 17 points. Against Northeast Conference opposition, Bain ranks second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.522), eighth in field goal percentage (.571) and 11th in free-throw percentage (.800). After reaching double figures just once in RMU's first seven games of the 2018-19 season, Bain has turned the trick eight times since December 1, 2018. Over that span, Bain is averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest and has shot 54.3 percent (57-for-105) from the floor, including 46.5 percent (20-for-43) from deep, in the last 13 games.
 
The All-Time Wins Leader - RMU head coach Andrew Toole picked up career victory No. 158 thanks to a 52-49 win @ St. Francis Brooklyn (1/10/19) that opened a four-game road trip. Thanks to the victory, Toole, who is in his ninth season at the helm leading the Colonials in 2018-19, surpassed former head coach Jarrett Durham for most victories in Robert Morris men's basketball history. Durham posted an overall record of 157-183 (.462) from 1984 to 1996. Toole owns an overall record of 161-132 (.549), including a mark of 97-52 (.651) against league foes.
 
Did You Know? In nine seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 97-37 (.724) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 37-5 (.881) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau.
 
Board Games - Part of following the formula in regard to being successful for RMU over the last 12 seasons has been the program's ability to crash the boards. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign, Robert Morris owns a record of 155-40 (.795) when the Colonials are even or better in rebounding in a game, including a 146-34 (.811) mark when outrebounding their opponent.

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