GAME 15
Mount St. Mary's (3-11, 0-1 NEC) vs. RMU (6-8, 1-0 NEC)
Saturday, January 5, 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  
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes a three-game homestand at the North Athletic Complex Saturday in search of its third consecutive win with a 5:00 p.m. tip against Mount St. Mary's.
 
- The Colonials opened their Northeast Conference slate with a 69-62 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/3/19). Senior guard Matty McConnell and sophomore forward Charles Bain tied for team-high honors in scoring with 15 points each. Off the bench, senior forward Malik Petteway supplied 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks against the Knights, while junior forward Yannis Mendy contributed 11 of his career-high 13 points in the first half.
 
- RMU shot 55.8 percent (24-for-43) from the field in its victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, led by sophomore forward Charles Bain, who was a perfect 5-for-5, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

- In six home games at the North Athletic Complex in 2018-19 the Colonials are converting 53.5 percent (175-for-327) of their attempts from the floor. In averaging 15.2 points at the North Athletic Complex, senior forward Malik Petteway has shot 66 percent (35-for-53) from the field.
 
- Robert Morris enters Saturday's tilt leading the Northeast Conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 68.9 points per game, as well as three-point field goal percentage (.369). The Colonials also rank second in the circuit in scoring margin (+1.5), assists (15.36), steals (7.79) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.00).
 
- Individually, senior guard Matty McConnell leads the Northeast Conference in steals with an average of 2.29 per game, while senior guard Josh Williams leads the conference in three-point field goals made per game (3.86).
 
- RMU snapped a five-game losing streak and concluded the non-conference portion of its 2018-19 schedule with a 108-51 victory over Hood (12/29/18) at the North Athletic Complex. Senior forward Malik Petteway led six players in double figures for the Colonials by registering his second double-double of the year and fifth of his career with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 
- Senior guard Matty McConnell contributed 17 points in the victory over the Blazers, while sophomore forward Charles Bain scored 14 points. Guards Josh Williams and Jon Williams each scored 12 points against Hood, while junior guard Sayveon McEwen added 11.
 
- Head coach Andrew Toole owns the highest winning percentage (.625) 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 55-33 in games decided by five points or less, including 0-1 in 2018-19.

MOUNT ST. MARY'S LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- RMU Fact Book
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Fairleigh Dickinson Tidbits - Robert Morris, which has won 20 of the last 22 meetings against the Knights, improved to 46-32 (.590) in the all-time series against FDU ... The contest featured 13 lead changes, the most in a game in 2018-19 for RMU ... Mike Holloway, Jr., scored a game-high 18 points for Fairleigh Dickinson, including 13 in the second half ... The Knights held advantages in points in the paint (46-32) and points off turnovers (27-23) while the reserves for the Colonials outscored the FDU bench, 17-4 ... Robert Morris grabbed its biggest lead, 57-46, with 8:26 to play.
 
The Senior - Matty McConnell tied for team-high honors in scoring in a 69-62 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/3/19) with 15 points and in the process became the 29th player in school history to eclipse 900 career points. McConnell, who will become just the sixth student-athlete in program history to make 100 career starts Saturday against Mount St. Mary's, enters the contest with 911 career points. McConnell also ranks seventh all-time in program history in steals (207) and 10th in three-point field goals (169). Over the last two seasons, Robert Morris owns a record of 18-7 (.720) when McConnell scores in double figures.
 
Did You Know? In six home games, senior guard Matty McConnell and sophomore guard Jon Williams have combined for 48 assists against 23 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.09. Williams owns 28 dimes (4.67 per game) at the North Athletic Complex.
 
BMW - RMU is getting a balanced attack in regard to its three-point production in recent weeks, and that continued in its Northeast Conference opener against Fairleigh Dickinson. The trio of Matty McConnell, Josh Williams and Charles Bain combined to 5-for-11 from beyond the arc in a 69-62 win. In the last seven games, the trio are converting an even 42 percent (42-100) of their shots from international waters in averaging 6.00 triples per contest. Over that stretch, McConnell is supplying the Colonials with an average of 10.4 points per game while shooting 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from beyond the arc.
 
Now's Not The Time For Fear - Sophomore forward Charles Bain has settled in nicely as a key cog for the Colonials offensively, and his confidence seems to be growing. Over the last seven games, Bain has scored in double figures in five of those games, including three consecutive contests. In a 69-62 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/3/19) in the Northeast Conference opener, Bain tied for team-high honors in scoring with 15 points. Over the last seven games, Bain is averaging 13.0 points per contest and is shooting 55.7 percent (34-for-61) from the field, including 45.5 percent (10-for-22) from deep, and 72.2 percent (13-for-18) at the free-throw line.
 
Block Engine - Malik Petteway has grown into a natural rim protector for Robert Morris in 2018-19, as the senior forward has rejected nine shots in the last three games, including three blocks in a 69-62 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/3/19) as well as a career-high five blocks @ Louisville (12/21/18). Petteway enters Saturday's game against the Mount ranked fourth in the Northeast Conference in rejections with an average of 1.36 per game.
 
Knocking Them Down - The trio of senior guard Matty McConnell, senior forward Malik Petteway and sophomore forward Charles Bain enters Saturday's game against Mount St. Mary's having combined to shoot 56.9 percent (66-for-116) from the field, including 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from beyond the arc, in their last five games. Combined, the trio have averaged 34.8 points per contest during that stretch.
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to a 69-62 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/3/19), Robert Morris improved to 172-50 (.775) when holding their opponent to under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Under ninth-year head coach Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 119-42 (.739) when turning the trick. Overall the last 12 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 56.8 percent (222-of-391) of the time.
 
The Steel 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 led the league in steals in each of the last three years as well as six times overall. So far in 2018-19, senior guard Matty McConnell leads the NEC in thefts with an average of 2.29 per contest thanks to 32 steals in 14 games. As a team, Robert Morris ranks second, posting an average of 7.79 pilfers per contest and trailing only Fairleigh Dickinson (8.92).
 
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 152-40 (.792) when the Colonials are even or better in rebounding in a game, including a 143-34 (.808) mark when outrebounding their opponent.

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