GAME 16
RMU (7-8, 2-0 NEC) @ St. Francis Brooklyn (9-6, 1-1 NEC)
Thursday, January 10, 2019 • 9:00 p.m.
Pope P.E. Center (1,200) • Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Talent: Dave Popkin (pxp), Joe DeSantis (color) & John Schmeelk (sideline) 
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a four-game road trip Thursday looking to extend its winning streak to four with a 9:00 p.m. tip at St. Francis Brooklyn in a game that can be seen live on CBS Sports Network.
 
- The Colonials concluded a perfect three-game homestand by earning a 62-59 win over Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19) at the North Athletic Complex. Senior guard Josh Williams converted in the paint with 13.4 seconds left to give RMU a 60-59 advantage, and he added a pair of free throws 12 seconds later to help seal the victory. Williams finished with 11 points, three assists and a steal in the win.
 
- Senior forward Malik Petteway recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Mount, while senior guard Matty McConnell added 11 points, eight boards and three assists. In addition, freshman guard Cameron Wilbon registered his first career double-figure scoring game by finishing with 10 points and seven caroms off the bench.
 
- RMU, which leads the Northeast Conference in scoring defense (68.2 ppg), allowed an average of just 57.3 points in its perfect 3-0 homestand. Opponents shot just 39.1 percent (63-for-161) from the floor, including 24.5 percent (12-for-49) from beyond the arc. 
 
- In addition to pacing the NEC in scoring defense, the Colonials also rank second or third in the circuit in an astonishing 11 categories. Robert Morris ranks second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.363), assists (15.00), assist-to-turnover ratio (0.99), field goal percent defense (.438), three-point field goal percent defense (.325) and steals (7.73 per game) while ranking third in scoring margin (+1.6), field goal percentage (.437), three-point field goals made per game (8.40), rebounding defense (34.3) and turnover margin (+1.00).
 
- The Colonials opened their Northeast Conference slate with a 69-62 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/3/19) at the North Athletic Complex. Senior guard Matty McConnell and sophomore forward Charles Bain tied for team-high honors in scoring with 15 points each. Bain shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line.
 
- Off the bench in the win over the Knights, senior forward Malik Petteway supplied 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks, while junior forward Yannis Mendy contributed 11 of his career-high 13 points in the first half.
 
- Head coach Andrew Toole owns the highest winning percentage (.629) 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 56-33 in games decided by five points or less, including 1-1 in 2018-19.

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Live Stats
 
Mount St. Mary's Tidbits - In earning their second consecutive win over the Mount, the Colonials evened up the all-time series, 34-34 (.500) ... Robert Morris grabbed its biggest lead, 30-16, with 1:50 to play before halftime and owned a 30-19 edge at the break ... Mount St. Mary's shot 53.8 percent (14-for-26) from the field in the second half ... Vado Morse led all scorers in the contest with 19 points and drew 10 fouls on the game ... Junior forward Yannis Mendy grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds as RMU finished with a 45-31 edge on the glass ... Freshman guard Dante Treacy logged 12:40 of playing time and posted a team-high +8 in plus/minus.
 
In The Clutch - You certainly could say that Robert Morris has a flair for the dramatic. In a 62-59 victory over Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19), senior guard Josh Williams became the latest member of the Colonials to hit a buzzer beater for RMU. Williams converted in the lane with 13.4 seconds left to give RMU a 60-59 lead, and his game winner came one year and one day after the last buzzer beater. A look at the last 10 Colonials to hit a game-winning shot in the final 15 seconds to give RMU a victory:
 

Player	Opponent (Date)	Time (seconds)	Score
Josh Williams	Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19)	13.4	W, 62-59
Matty McConnell	St. Francis Brooklyn (1/4/18)	10.8 (OT) $	W, 80-79
Kavon Stewart	@ LIU Brooklyn (3/1/17) *	3.0	W, 69-68
Isaiah Still	Duquesne (12/6/16)	15.3	W, 64-60
Aaron Tate	Central Connecticut (2/14/15)	0.0	W, 53-52
Lucky Jones	St. Francis Brooklyn (2/22/14)	3.1 (OT)	W, 71-70
Mike McFadden	Kentucky (3/19/13) %	8.7	W, 59-57
Velton Jones	@ LIU Brooklyn (2/2/13)	9.8	W, 60-57
Karvel Anderson	@ Campbell (12/4/12)	4.5 #	W, 61-58
Velton Jones	@ Sacred Heart (2/23/12)	0.1 #	W, 55-53

 
$ A.J. Palumbo Center (three-point play); * NEC Tournament; % NIT; # Three-pointer
 
The Senior - Matty McConnell, RMU's active leading scorer with 922 career points, became just the seventh player in program history to start 100 games when he was in the starting five in a 62-59 win over Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19). He also ranks seventh all-time for career steals (207) and 10th in three-point field goals (172). Thanks to tying for team-high honors in scoring with 11 points in the victory over the Mount, Robert Morris has posted a record of 19-7 (.731) over the last two seasons when McConnell scores in double figure. In RMU's 3-0 homestand, McConnell paced the Colonials in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game and added averages of 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 56 percent (14-for-25) from the field, including 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from beyond the arc.
 
Now's Not The Time For Fear - Charles Bain helped Robert Morris get off to a 2-0 start in Northeast Conference with some sweet shooting, as the sophomore forward averaged 11.0 points in RMU's two league wins last week while shooting 88.9 percent (8-for-9) from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Over his last four games, a stretch in which he has led the Colonials in scoring at 13.5 points per game, Bain has knocked down down 72.4 percent (21-for-29) of his shots from the field, including a perfect showing of 6-for-6 from deep. Overall in 2018-19, Bain ranks 10th in the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage (.477) and 11th in three-point field goal percentage (.378). 
 
Block Engine - Malik Petteway has grown into a natural rim protector for Robert Morris in 2018-19, as the senior forward has rejected 10 shots in the last four 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 ranks fourth in the Northeast Conference in rejections with an average of 1.43 per game. Petteway, who leads the NEC in field goal percentage at 54.4 percent (62-for-114), is coming off his third double-double of the season and sixth of his career in a 62-59 win over Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19) courtesy of 11 points and 10 caroms. RMU is a perfect 3-0 this season when Petteway records a double-double and 4-2 (.667) overall in the last two seasons.
 
Knocking Them Down - The trio of senior guard Matty McConnell, senior forward Malik Petteway and sophomore forward Charles Bain enters Thursday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn having combined to shoot 54.2 percent (77-for-142) from the field, including 51.3 percent (20-for-39) from beyond the arc, in their last six games. Combined, the trio have averaged 33.8 points per contest during that stretch.
 
A Sense Of Calm - Head coach Andrew Toole appointed the same five student-athletes as starters in each of RMU's first 15 games of the season, as Matty McConnell, Jon Williams and Josh Williams have been penciled in at guard, while Charles Bain and Yannis Mendy have started at forward. It's the longest stretch to start a season under Toole with the same starting lineup, and it's also the longest stretch of games at any point during a season in Toole's nine years in which he used the same starting lineup.
 
Army Reserve - One aspect of head coach Andrew Toole using the same starting lineup in each of RMU's 15 games in 2018-19 has been the quality of production from the bench. During its perfect 3-0 homestand, the Robert Morris bench outscored the reserves of its opposition, 90-42. The Colonials averaged 30.0 points per game from their bench and overall on the season are receiving an average of 25.0 points per contest from their reserves. Senior forward Malik Petteway averaged 14.0 points and 8.3 rebounds off the bench in RMU's three-game homestand while shooting 63 percent (17-for-27) from the floor. 
 
Close and Late - A common theme in the nine years that head coach Andrew Toole has been at the helm at Robert Morris has been playing close games late. During Toole's tenure, the Colonials have posted a record of 56-33 (.629) in games decided by five points or less, including a mark of 8-6 (.571) in games decided by just a single point.
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to a 62-59 win over Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19), Robert Morris improved to 173-50 (.776) 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 120-42 (.741) when turning the trick. Overall the last 12 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 56.9 percent (223-of-392) of the time.
 
Defensively Speaking - Robert Morris has won 13 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 60 points dating back to the 2016-17 season after a 62-59 win over Mount St. Mary's (1/5/19) that concluded a three-game homestand at the North Athletic Complex. In nine years under Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 60-7 (.896) when turning the trick. The last loss for RMU when yielding under 60 points was a 48-47 setback @ Mount St. Mary's (1/26/17).
 
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 153-40 (.793) when the Colonials are even or better in rebounding in a game, including a 144-34 (.809) mark when outrebounding their opponent.

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