GAME 1
Robert Morris (0-0) @ Marshall (0-0)
2019 Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational presented by FieldTurf
Thursday, November 7, 2019 • 7:00 p.m.
Cam Henderson Center (9,048) • Huntington, W. Va.
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp)
Video: HerdZone.com • TuneIn.com
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens its 2019-20 regular season and 44th campaign of NCAA Division I basketball Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Marshall at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W. Va. The contest is the first of four games for the Colonials in the 2019 Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational.
 
- 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 enter 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. Robert Morris 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 241-171 (.585) during that span, including a mark of 148-66 (.692) against Northeast Conference foes.
 
- Entering Thursday's game against the Thundering Herd, RMU owns a record of 20-23 (.465) all-time in season openers, including a mark of 3-6 (.333) under head coach Andrew Toole.The Colonials are opening a season on the road for the fourth consecutive year.
 
- Senior guard Josh Williams was named to the 2019 All-NEC Third Team after leading the Colonials in scoring in 2018-19 at 14.5 points per game. He led the conference in three-point field goals made per game (2.94) and joined former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14) as the only student-athletes in program history to knock down at least 100 three-pointers in a season. Williams finished the 2018-19 campaign with 103 triples.
 
- Josh Williams enters the 2019-20 season just five points shy of eclipsing 1,000 career points. In two seasons at the University of Akron prior to transferring to RMU, Williams scored 489 points and in his first season with the Colonials last year scored a team-high 506 points.
 
- Also returning as starters for RMU in 2019-20 are senior forward Yannis Mendy, junior guard Jon Williams and junior forward Charles Bain. Jon Williams owns career totals of 450 points and 263 assists and finished third in the NEC in 2018-19 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.84) and fifth in assists (4.26 per game). Bain owns career totals of 532 points and 262 rebounds entering the 2019-20 campaign.

MARSHALL LINKS
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Start Me Up - Junior guard Jon Williams enters the 2019-20 game owning RMU's active streaks for games played and starts, both of which are at 68 games entering Thursday's season opener @ Marshall. The 68 consecutive starts for Williams ranks seventh all-time in program history, and he is just two away from being the seventh different student-athlete all-time to start at least 70 different games. Across NCAA Division I entering the 2019-20 season, the 68 consecutive starts ranks third in the junior class, trailing Taveion Hollingsworth of Western Kentucky (72) and Matt Coleman III from Texas (71).
 
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.
 
Defensively Speaking - Robert Morris enters the 2019-20 campaign having won 18 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 60 points dating back to the 2016-17 season. In nine years under Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 65-7 (.903) overall when turning the trick. During the 2018-19 campaign, RMU finished a perfect 10-0.
 
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). Combined, the duo of Josh and Jon connected for 151 three-pointers in 2018-19, an average of 4.31 per contest.
 
Point Break - Jon Williams is RMU's active leader in assists entering his junior season in 2019-20, having produced 263 dimes in his first 68 career games, an average of 3.86 per contest that is tied with former point guard Kavon Stewart (2013-17) for seventh in the Robert Morris career record book. Williams is 37 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 1.59, which is tied for seventh in program history with former point guard Velton Jones (2008-13).
 
The Next Step - In the final game of the 2018-19 campaign for Robert Morris, forward Charles Bain registered his first career double-double, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Presbyterian (3/24/19) in the second round of the 2019 CIT. Bain is RMU's active leader in both points (532) and rebounds (262) entering his junior campaign in 2019-20.
 
The Ace Of Spades - Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams is one of two student-athletes in program history to score 34 or more points in a game on three separate occasions.  Williams, who paced Robert Morris with a game-high 36 points in a 98-89 overtime win over Cornell (3/19/19) in the first round of the 2019 CIT, also scored an RMU single-game record 49 points in a 104-57 win over Mount Aloysius (11/14/18) as well as 34 points @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/2/09) during his first season with the program in 2018-19. He joined former guard Gene Nabors (1995-2000).
 
Close and Late - A common theme in the 10 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 59-37 (.615) in games decided by five points or less, including a mark of 8-6 (.571) in games decided by just a single point.
 
Board Games - Part of following the formula in regard to being successful for RMU over the last 13 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 162-43 (.790) when the Colonials are even or better in rebounding in a game, including a 153-37 (.805) mark when outrebounding their opponent.

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