GAME 27
RMU (13-13, 8-5 NEC) @ Saint Francis U (13-11, 9-4 NEC)
Saturday, February 16, 2019 • 7:00 p.m.
DeGol Arena (3,500) • Loretto, Pa.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: SFUAthletics.com • NECFrontRow.com
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes a two-game road trip by renewing the longest running rivalry in program history when it travels to DeGol Arena in Loretto, Pa., Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Saint Francis U.
 
- RMU, which has dropped four of its last five, opened its road swing with a 76-62 loss @ Mount St. Mary's (2/14/19). The Colonials built an 11-point lead late in the first half, 38-27, but a 17-6 run in the second half let the Mount jump in front, 60-51, en route to the win. Senior guard Josh Williams paced Robert Morris with 16 points, while sophomore guard Jon Williams scored a season-high 14 points.
 
- Josh Williams and Jon Williams combined to shoot 8-for-18 from the field against the Mount, including 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, while knocking down eight of their 10 attempts at the free-throw line. Sophomore forward Charles Bain added nine points @ Mount St. Mary's (2/14/19) while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds.
 
- Senior guard Matty McConnell leads the Northeast Conference in steals with an average of 1.92 per contest thanks to 50 thefts in 26 games. RMU's active leading scorer (1,030 points) and rebounder (481), McConnell needs 19 caroms to become the 14th player in program history to eclipse career totals of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
- Senior guard Josh Williams leads the NEC in three-point field goals made per game (3.15) and is tied for seventh in the RMU single-season record book for triples with 82. Williams is the eighth student-athlete for the Colonials to hit at least 80 three-pointers in a season, including the fourth in nine seasons under head coach Andrew Toole.
 
- Robert Morris has finished first or second in the Northeast Conference in scoring defense five times in the previous eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. The Colonials currently rank second in the circuit in the category in 2018-19, allowing an average of 68.3 points per game and trailing only Wagner (67.1 ppg).
 
- Head coach Andrew Toole owns the highest winning percentage (.620) 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 57-35 in games decided by five points or less, including a 2-3 (.400) mark in 2018-19.
 
- The Colonials wrapped up a two-game homestand at the North Athletic Complex with a 77-68 setback to Central Connecticut State (2/9/19). Tied, 57-57, with six and-a-half minutes to play, the Blue Devils used an 8-0 surge to take control. Senior forward Malik Petteway paced RMU with 16 points, seven rebounds and a block off the bench.
 
-  Senior guard Josh Williams finished with 12 points and three rebounds against CCSU, while sophomore forward Charles Bain contributed 10 points and three assists. Freshman guard Dante Treacy established career highs in both points (10) and assists (5) against the Blue Devils.

SAINT FRANCIS U LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Mount St. Mary's Tidbits - Mount St. Mary's snapped a two-game slide against RMU and took a 35-34 (.507) lead in the all-times series ... In each of their last two road games, the Colonials have established season highs in fouls, finishing with 28 @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/2/19), followed by 29 against the Mount ... Not coincidentally, the two highest totals for free throws and free-throw attempts by opponents in 2018-19 have come in RMU's last two road tilts ... FDU finished 31-for-40 (77.5%) at the stripe, followed by a 24-for-31 (77.4%) performance by the Mount ... RMU entered the bonus at the 11:25 mark of the first half when the Mount picked up its seventh team foul ... At that point the Colonials had three teams fouls ... RMU committed 26 fouls over the final 31:35 of action compared to 13 by the Mount ... Robert Morris finished 14-for-20 (70%) at the free-throw line ... Each team finished with 13 assists ... Mount St. Mary's held a 31-27 edge in rebounding.
 
Home On The Road - Senior guard Josh Williams paced the Colonials @ Mount St. Mary's (2/14/19) with 16 points and has been extremely comfortable in hostile environments in 2018-19. Against Northeast Conference foes on the road, Williams is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game while shooting 44 percent (33-for-75) from the field, including 45.7 percent (21-for-46) from beyond the arc. Williams enters Saturday's game @ Saint Francis U having knocked down exactly 50 percent (21-for-42) of his attempts from deep in the last five league road games after going 0-for-4 from the three-point line in RMU's first league road game of the year, a 52-49 win @ St. Francis Brooklyn (1/10/19).
 
Deep Thoughts - Robert Morris knocked down 10 three-pointers @ Mount St. Mary's (2/14/19), as sophomore guard Jon Williams finished a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to a season-high 14 points. The Colonials have now dropped three consecutive games when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game after starting the year 3-0. In nine seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, RMU has posted a mark of 44-16 (.746) when reaching double-digits in three-pointers in a contest. The Colonials also dipped to 9-4 (.692) in two seasons when Jon Williams scores in double figures, including a 3-2 (.600) mark in 2018-19.
 
Defense and Rebounding - In RMU's eight wins against Northeast Conference foes this season, the Colonials are allowing an average of 58.5 points per game and own a rebounding margin of +7.0, grabbing an average of 36.1 rebounds per game while allowing an average of just 29.1 caroms per contest. In RMU's five losses against NEC opposition, opponents have shot 51.7 percent (134-for-259) from the field in averaging 81.2 points per game while owning a +5.0 rebounding margin (35.4 to 30.4). In NEC wins, forwards Malik Petteway and Yannis Mendy have combined to average 12.5 rebounds per game. In losses, the duo average just 7.2 rebounds a contest.
 
Did You Know? RMU is 39-16 (.709) in nine seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when finishing with at least 40 rebounds in a game, including a perfect 6-0 in 2018-19. The Colonials have won seven consecutive contests when grabbing at least 40 boards in a game dating back to last season.
 
Climbing The Charts - Senior guard Matty McConnell became just the ninth player in program history to appear in at least 120 games when he finished with three points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals @ Mount St. Mary's (2/14/19). McConnell currently ranks ninth all-time in games played and fourth in starts (111).

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