GAME 32
#5 St. Francis Brooklyn (17-14) vs. #4 RMU (16-15)
2019 Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 • 7:00 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 begins its quest for a league-record ninth Northeast Conference Tournament title Wednesday by hosting No. 5 seed St. Francis Brooklyn for a 7:00 p.m. tip in the quarterfinals at the North Athletic Complex.
 
- The Colonials are making their 16th consecutive appearance in the NEC Tournament, the longest active streak in the conference. Overall, RMU has qualified for the NEC Tournament 35 out of a possible 38 times. Robert Morris owns records for appearances, victories (41), semifinal appearances (21) and championships (8).
 
- Robert Morris has finished first or second in the NEC in scoring defense five times in the previous eight seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. The Colonials enter the 2019 NEC Tournament ranked second in the category in the circuit in 2018-19, allowing an average of 67.9 points per game and trailing only Wagner (67.6 ppg).
 
- In NEC Tournament games played at home, RMU has compiled a record of 27-8 (.771), including a mark of 7-2 (.778) under ninth-year head coach Andrew Toole. In NEC Tournament home games under Toole, the Colonials have held opponents to an average of 65.2 points per game. Overall in the NEC Tournament under Toole, Robert Morris is 11-2 (.846) when holding opponents under 70 points.
 
- Senior guard Josh Williams was named to the 2019 All-Northeast Conference Third Team in a vote of league head coaches. Williams enters the 2019 NEC Tournament leading the Colonials in scoring at 13.9 points per game while producing averages of 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.
 
- Senior guard Matty McConnell leads the Northeast Conference in steals with an average of 1.74 per contest thanks to 54 thefts in 31 games. The program's active leading scorer (1,081 points), McConnell became the 19th member of the Robert Morris 500-Rebound Club in RMU's 69-60 win @ Wagner (3/2/19) that concluded the 2018-19 regular season. He owns 502 career caroms and is also the 14th student-athlete in school history to eclipse career totals of both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
- Senior guard Josh Williams leads the NEC in three-point field goals made per game (2.94) and ranks third in the RMU single-season record book for triples (91), trailing only Scott Shepherd, who finished with 93 three-pointers in 1988-89, and Karvel Anderson, who dropped 119 triples in 2013-14.
 
- Head coach Andrew Toole owns the highest winning percentage (.617) 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 58-36 in games decided by five points or less, including 3-4 in 2018-19.

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
NEC TOURNAMENT QUICK HITS
The Colonials own a record of 27-8 (.771) in tournament games played at home, 9-11 (.450) in road games and a mark of 5-7 (.417) in neutral site contests ... RMU has appeared in the NEC Tournament in each of the past 16 seasons, advancing to the semifinals 12 times over that span and the NEC Championship game six times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) ... RMU has hosted the NEC Tournament championship game six times (1983, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2009, 2014), with the Colonials 5-1 (.833) in those games ... RMU is 3-2 (.600) in NEC Tournament championship games on the road, with victories @ LIU Brooklyn (1982), Quinnipiac (2010) and St. Francis Brooklyn (2015) and a pair of losses @ LIU Brooklyn (2011, 2012) ... Robert  Morris is one of four programs in the NEC to have won back-to-back league titles, having accomplished the feat three times (1982 & 1983, 1989 & 1990 and 2009 & 2010) ... The Colonials have advanced to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament 21 times, the most in league history … Robert Morris owns a record of 4-2 (.667) all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn in the NEC Tournament, including a 2-1 (.667) record in the quarterfinals and a 3-1 (.750) at home.
 
Wagner Tidbits - RMU garnered a sweep of the Seahawks in the 2018-19 season series and improved to 44-33 (.571) all-time against Wagner ... The Colonials held Wagner to a shooting percentage of 18.5 percent (5-for-27) in the second half, including 1-for-15 (6.7%) from beyond the arc ... Overall the Seahawks shot just 29.6 percent (16-for-54), the lowest field goal percentage by an NCAA Division I opponent for Robert Morris since holding St. Francis Brooklyn to 29.1 percent (16-for-55) in a 78-54 win in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. (2/4/17) ... RMU outrebounded Wagner, 36-30 ... The Colonials outscored the Seahawks, 32-16, in points in the paint ... Romone Saunders scored a game-high 26 points for Wagner on the strength of a perfect 10-for-10 performance at the free-throw line.
 
Attack Mode - Senior guard Matty McConnell seems to raise his level of play up a notch when the Northeast Conference Tournament rolls around. McConnell enters Wednesday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn in the quarterfinals with averages of 15.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals in five career games of the NEC Tournament. In those contests McConnell has shot an even 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field, including 48.6 percent (17-for-35) from beyond the arc. He is tied with former guard Gene Nabors (1995-00) for fourth in career three-pointers in the NEC Tournament for Robert Morris. Entering the 2019 NEC Tournament, McConnell is four assists shy of 300 and seven three-pointers shy of 200 for his career. 
 
Directing Traffic - Sophomore guard Jon Williams enters the 2019 NEC Tournament playing his best basketball of the 2018-19 campaign, as in RMU's final two road games of the regular season last week he averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 43.7 percent (7-for-16) from the field, including 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from beyond the arc. In a 69-60 victory @ Wagner (3/2/19), Williams scored 12 points and dished out eight assists against zero turnovers. Over his last five games, Williams has dished out 21 assists against just six turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.50. When Williams, who is 11 for his last 20 (55%) shooting from beyond the arc, passes out at least seven assists in a game, Robert Morris owns a record of 8-2 (.800).
 
More From The Point - In his first taste of NEC Tournament action as a freshman last season, sophomore guard Jon Williams averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games while shooting 53.8 percent (7-for-13) from the floor, including 50 percent (5-for-10) from beyond the arc.
 
No Steals For You - In a 69-60 win @ Wagner (3/2/19) to close out the 2018-19 regular season, Robert Morris failed to record a steal in the game. It marks the first time the Colonials, who enter the 2019 NEC Tournament ranked second in the league in steals per game (7.16), failed to record a theft in a contest since Jan. 24, 1998, against St. Francis Brooklyn at the Charles L. Sewall Center, a span of a whopping 674 games.
 
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.
 
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 ninth season at the helm leading the Colonials in 2018-19, 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 166-138 (.546), 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. Thanks to a 69-60 win @ Wagner (3/2/19) to close out the 2018-19 regular season, Robert Morris improved to 182-50 (.784) 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 131-43 (.753) when turning the trick. Overall the last 12 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 56.9 percent (232-of-408) of the time.
 
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 58-36 (.617) in games decided by five points or less, including a mark of 8-6 (.571) in games decided by just a single point.
 
Defensively Speaking - Robert Morris has won 18 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 60 points dating back to the 2016-17 season after a 62-49 victory over LIU Brooklyn (2/21/19) at the North Athletic Complex. In nine years under Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 65-7 (.903) when turning the trick, including a perfect 10-0 mark in 2018-19. The last loss for RMU when yielding under 60 points was a 48-47 setback @ Mount St. Mary's (1/26/17).
 
Did You Know? In nine seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 98-39 (.715) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 37-6 (.860) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau.
 
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 160-42 (.792) when the Colonials are even or better in rebounding in a game, including a 151-36 (.807) mark when outrebounding their opponent.
 
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 1.74 per contest thanks to 54 steals in 31 games. As a team, Robert Morris ranks second, posting an average of 7.16 pilfers per contest and trailing only Fairleigh Dickinson (7.60).

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