GAME 20
Robert Morris (9-10 / 5-1 NEC) @ St. Francis Brooklyn (8-10 / 2-4 NEC)
Thursday, January 23, 2020 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Generoso Pope Athletic Complex (1,200) • Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Video: SFCAthletics.com • NECFrontRow.com
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens its annual swing through  Brooklyn, N.Y., Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against St. Francis Brooklyn at the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
 
- The Colonials concluded a four-game homestand with a 67-55 victory over Sacred Heart (1/20/20) at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. RMU used a 16-0 spurt in the first half to open up a 23-7 lead and twice owned a 17-point advantage.
 
- Junior forward AJ Bramah paced Robert Morris in the win over the Pioneers with career highs in both points (18) and rebounds (20). He shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field and tied a program single-game record for rebounds that had stood since 1980. Former forward Mike Morton (1978-80) finished with 20 caroms in a 67-63 setback @ Baltimore (1/12/80). A span of 1,213 games eclipsed between the two performances.
 
- Senior guard Sayveon McEwen contributed 12 points off the bench in the win over Sacred Heart, knocking down five of his 10 shots from the field. As a team, the Colonials shot 51.9 percent (28-for-54) from the floor in the victory.
 
- RMU posted a record of 3-1 (.750) during its four-game homestand, averaging 72.0 points per game while holding opponents to an average of 55.5 points per contest. Robert Morris shot 51.4 percent (112-for-218) in the four games. Junior forward AJ Bramah averaged 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds during that stretch, converting 85.2 percent (23-for-27) of his shots from the field while knocking down 76.9 percent (20-for-26) of his attempts at the free-throw line.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.368), assists (16.74 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.23) while ranking second in the circuit in turnover margin (+1.58), three-point field goal percent defense (.299) and rebounding defense (34.3).
 
- Against NEC foes, the Colonials pace the conference in scoring margin (+14.7), field goal percentage (.506), three-point field goal percentage (.402), three-point field goal percent defense (.263), rebounding defense (30.7), assists (18.83 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.41).
 
- RMU owns a record of 17-6 (.739) during the month of January the last three seasons. Overall in 10 years under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole in the first month of a new year, Robert Morris owns a mark of 54-32 (.628).
 
- Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists during RMU's four-game homestand, knocking down an even 50 percent (14-of-28) of his attempts from beyond the arc. He leads the NEC in three-point field goals made per game (3.53), which ranks seventh in NCAA Division I.

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN LINKS
- Game Notes
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Sacred Heart Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 26-11 (.703) in the all-time series against Sacred Heart, including 16-3 (.842) at home ... The Colonials owned their biggest lead of the contest, 30-13, with 4:45 to go before halftime ... RMU matched its biggest advantage at the 12:51 mark of the second half, 48-31 ... The Pioneers shot 34.5 percent (20-for-58) from the field, including 14.3 percent (3-for-21) from beyond the arc ... During its four-game homestand at the UPMC Events Center, opponents shot 24.1 percent (19-for-79) from downtown ... Sacred Heart's E.J. Anosike earned game-high honors in scoring with 20 points and also grabbed 17 rebounds while notching three steals ... Senior forward Yannis Mendy paced the RMU starting lineup with nine points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.
 
The Insider - Junior forward AJ Bramah has been a solid post player for Robert Morris in his first season with the program in 2019-20. Thanks to a breakthrough performance in a 67-55 win over Sacred Heart (1/20/20) with career highs in both points (18) and rebounds (20), Bramah extended his streak for double-figure scoring games to 14. During that stretch, Bramah is averaging 13.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 62.1 percent (72-for-116) from the field. He enters Thursday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn leading the NEC against conference opposition in field goal percentage by converting 78.3 percent (36-for-46) of his shots from the floor.
 
Perfection - In just the seventh game at its new facility, Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center, Robert Morris had a student-athlete post a perfect shooting night. Junior forward AJ Bramah shot 9-for-9 from the field en route to a team-high 18 points in a 67-55 win over Sacred Heart (1/20/20). He is the fourth student-athlete to post a perfect shooting night in the last 10 years under Andrew Toole, joining Karvel Anderson (10-for-10), Mike McFadden (7-for-7) and Conrad Stephens (6-for-6).
 
Army Reserve - The contributions that junior forward AJ Bramah has supplied the Colonials in 2019-20 as one of the top options off the bench has allowed Robert Morris to average 25.7 points per game from its reserves this season. RMU has received at least 25 points from its bench in nine of its last 10 games and 12 times overall on the 2019-20 campaign. The Colonials own a record of 8-4 (.667) this season when their reserves score at least 25 points in a game.
 
Flip Flop - Junior guard Jon Williams moved past his brother, redshirt senior guard Josh Williams, to the top of the leaderboard in the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage last weekend. Jon Williams has knocked down 44 percent (33-for-75) of his attempts from beyond the arc to pace the circuit, while Josh Williams ranks second at 42.7 percent (67-for-157). Josh Williams enters Thursday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn ranked 23rd in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal percentage.
 
One, Two Times Two - Three-point field goal percentage is one of two categories that junior guard Jon Williams is tops in the Northeast Conference entering action this week. Heading into Thursday's game against the Terriers, Williams leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.27. One spot behind Williams is sophomore guard Dante Treacy, who logs an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.25. Over the last eight games, a stretch in which Robert Morris has posted a record of 7-2 (.778), Jon Williams and Treacy have combined for 86 assists (9.56 per game) against 31 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.77. Treacy has dished out at least five assists in each of RMU's last seven games, logging an average of 5.71 per contest and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.67 in that span.
 
Start Me Up - Junior guard Jon Williams owns RMU's active streaks for games played and starts, both of which are at 87 games entering Thursday's game. Williams ranks third in program history for consecutive starts after being in the starting lineup against Sacred Heart (1/20/20). Across NCAA Division I, the 86 consecutive starts ranks third in the junior class, trailing Matt Coleman III (89) from Texas and Taveion Hollingsworth of Western Kentucky (90). The Robert Morris record for consecutive starting assignments is 90, which is held by former guard Tony Lee (2005-08) and former forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08).  
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to a 67-55 win over Sacred Heart (1/20/20) that closed out a four-game homestand, Robert Moris improved to 190-54 (.779) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Under 10th-year Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials owns a mark of 139-47 (.747) when turning the trick. Overall the last 13 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 56.6 percent (244-of-431) of the time.

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