GAME 3
Pittsburgh (1-1) vs. Robert Morris (0-2)
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 • 6:00 p.m.
Peoples Court at UPMC Events Center (4,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
TV: ESPNU
Talent: Mike Crispino (pxp) & Noah Savage (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a new era Tuesday when it welcomes Pitt for the first game at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center, the new 4,000-seat facility on RMU's Moon Township campus. Tip time is 6:00 p.m. and the game can be seen live on ESPNU.
 
- The Colonials are coming off a 92-57 loss @ Notre Dame (11/9/19) in the second of four contests in the 2019 Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) Invitational. Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams scored a game-high 21 points to pace Robert Morris.
 
- Robert Morris opened its 2019-20 campaign and 44th season of NCAA Division I basketball with a 67-60 loss @ Marshall (11/7/19) in its first game of the Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) Invitational.

- Senior forward Yannis Mendy paced RMU against the Thundering Herd by tying a career-high with 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds. He converted seven of his eight shots from the field.
 
- In his NCAA Division I debut, junior forward AJ Bramah registered a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along an assist and two steals. Combined, Mendy and Bramah recorded nine offensive caroms @ Marshall.
 
- Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams joined the Robert Morris 1,000-Point Club against the Thundering Herd, as his three-pointer at the 18:51 mark of the second half helped him eclipse the threshold.
 
- Williams finished with 13 points @ Marshall in the 2019-20 season opener and also registered four rebounds, two assists and a steal. In two seasons at the University of Akron prior to transferring to RMU, Williams scored 489 points and has scored 540 points for the Colonials.
 
- Led by 10th-year head coach Andrew Toole, RMU returns four starters and seven letterwinners from a 2018-19 squad that finished with an overall record of 18-17 (.514), including a mark of 11-7 (.611) in the Northeast Conference.
 
- The Colonials entered the 2019-20 campaign returning 62.2 percent (1,525-of-2,448) of their scoring, 48.2 percent (568-of-1,178) of their rebounding and 70.2 percent (342-of-487) of their assists.
 
- Robert Morris was picked fifth in the 2019 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. RMU has never been the preseason favorite in the poll despite owning a league-high eight NEC Tournament titles, the last of which came in 2015.
 
-Over the last 12 years, Robert Morris has averaged 20.1 victories per season. The Colonials have recorded an overall record of 241-172 (.584) during that span, including a mark of 148-66 (.692) against Northeast Conference foes.

PITT LINKS
- Game Notes
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Notre Dame Tidbits - The meeting between the Colonials and Fighting Irish was the first between the two programs ... RMU knocked down 11 three-pointers @ Notre Dame, with four different student-athletes hitting at least one ... Through two games of the 2019-20 season, redshirt senior guard Josh Williams (10) and junior guard Jon Williams (4) own 77.8 percent (14-of-18) of the three-pointers for Robert Morris ... Sophomore guard Dante Treacy dished out a career-high six assists ... Notre Dame shot 88 percent (22-for-25) at the free-throw line and owned a 41-28 edge in rebounding. 
 
Start Me Up - Junior guard Jon Williams owns RMU's active streaks for games played and starts, both of which are at 70 games entering Tuesday's game against Pitt. Williams became just the seventh student-athlete in program history to start at least 70 consecutive games when he was a member of the starting five @ Notre Dame (11/9/19), joining former guards Velton Jones (2008-13) and Coron Williams (2009-13). Sitting in fourth for consecutive starting assignments is former forward Chaz McCrommon (2000-05), who started the final 85 games of his career. Across NCAA Division I entering, the 70 consecutive starts ranks third in the junior class, trailing Taveion Hollingsworth of Western Kentucky (74) and Matt Coleman III from Texas (73).
 
Keep It On The Down Low - Robert Morris has finished first or second in the Northeast Conference in scoring defense six times in nine seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. The Colonials ranked second in the circuit in 2018-19, allowing an average of 68.7 points per game. RMU paced the league in scoring defense in each of the first three years Toole was head coach of the Colonials, including 65.5 ppg in 2010-11, 63.5 ppg in 2011-12 and 65.7 ppg in 2012-13.
 
On Point - Nobody was converting from beyond the arc at a higher clip down the stretch of the 2018-19 campaign than Jon Williams. Over the final 10 games of the year, Williams shot 58.3 percent (21-for-36) from deep. The late surge helped Williams finish the year ranked eighth in the NEC in three-point field goal percentage at 38.1 percent (48-for-126), two spots ahead of his brother, Josh Williams, who finished 10th at 37.9 percent (103-for-272). Through the first two games of the 2019-20 campaign, Jon Williams has shot an even 50 percent (4-for-8) from beyond the arc.
 
Point Break - Jon Williams is RMU's active leader in assists, having produced 267 dimes in his first 70 career games, an average of 3.81 per contest that ranks eighth in the Robert Morris career record book. Williams is 31 assists shy of becoming the 15th player in school history to compile at least 300 career helpers. He also owns a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.56, which ranks eighth in program history.
 
Comeback Kids - Robert Morris has made a habit of climbing out of double-digit deficits under Andrew Toole, and in a 67-60 setback @ Marshall (11/7/19) in the 2019-20 season opener, the Colonials turned the trick again. RMU fell behind in the first half, 28-16, before charging back to grab a 55-51 lead with 7:46 to play. The Colonials have erased 38 double-digit deficits in 10 seasons under Toole. On 28 of those occasions Robert Morris has earned a victory.
 
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 10th season at the helm leading the Colonials in 2019-20, 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 168-142 (.542), including a mark of 102-58 (.638) against league foes.

Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Despite a 67-60 setback @ Marshall (11/7/19) in the 2019-20 season opener, Robert Morris owns a mark of 183-52 (.779) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Under 10th-year head coach Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 132-45 (.746) when turning the trick. Overall the last 13 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 56.8 percent (235-of-414) of the time.

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