GAME 15
Robert Morris (5-9 / 1-0 NEC) @ Merrimack (7-7 / 1-0 NEC)
Saturday, January 4, 2020 • 4:00 p.m. ET
Hammel Court (1,200) • North Andover, Mass.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
Video: MerrimackAthletics.com • NECFrontRow.com
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team, winners of three of its last four games, concludes a two-game road trip through New England Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. tip in North Andover, Mass., against Merrimack at Hammel Court. It marks the first meeting between the Colonials and Warriors.
 
- RMU improved to 21-18 (.538) all-time in Northeast Conference openers, including a mark of 8-2 (.800) under 10th-year Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, with an 89-78 victory @ Central Connecticut (1/2/20). It marked the most points scored in a league opener since a 90-85 win @ Quinnipiac (12/10/05).
 
- Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams led five Colonials in double figures in the triumph over the Blue Devils with 20 points. He shot 8-for-12 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and also added four rebounds and four assists.
 
- Junior guard Jon Williams contributed a season-high 17 points @ CCSU and notched a game-high six assists. He shot 5-for-7 from deep and converted both of his attempts at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Dante Treacy added 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Blue Devils.
 
- Off the bench in the win @ CCSU, junior forward AJ Bramah recorded his fourth double-double of the season thanks to 14 points and 14 rebounds, while sophomore guard Jalen Hawkins scored 10 points and grabbed five boards.
 
- Robert Morris enters Saturday's game @ Merrimack leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.363), assists (16.29 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18). The Colonials also rank second in the circuit in offensive rebounds with an average of 11.79 per game and rebounding defense (35.2).
 
- RMU has connected for at least 10 three-pointers in each of its last three games as well as four of the last five. In the last five contests, the Colonials are averaging 11.0 three-pointers per game and are connecting on 41 percent (55-of-134) of their attempts from beyond the arc.
 
- The Robert Morris bench has scored at least 25 points in each of its last five games and eight of its last 11. The Colonials are 5-3 (.625) in 2019-20 when the reserves supply at least 25 points per game, and the bench is averaging 29.4 points per game over the last five contests.
 
- Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams is RMU's active leading scorer with 1,196 points, including 707 in two seasons in an RMU uniform. Williams has reached double figures in each of his last four games as well as seven of the last eight contests. During the last eight games, Williams is averaging 16.6 points per game and has shot 47.3 percent (44-for-93) from the field, including 44.8 percent (30-for-67) from deep.  

MERRIMACK LINKS
- Game Notes
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Central Connecticut Tidbits - Robert Morris improved to 26-18 (.591) all-time against CCSU and stretched its winning streak to seven at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Conn. ... The Colonials shot 60 percent (18-for-30) from the field in the first half and 52.5 percent (32-for-61) overall ... The Blue Devils posted 63 attempts from the field, a season high for field goal attempts by an opponent ... Central Connecticut shot 44.4 percent (28-for-63) from the field, including 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from beyond the arc ... RMU held a 38-26 edge on the glass and outscored CCSU, 36-26, in points in the paint.
 
Two Of A Kind - Robert Morris has seemingly settled in offensively in recent weeks, and at the forefront of that are guards Jon Williams and Dante Treacy. Combined, the duo enter Saturday's game having dished out 116 assists against 55 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.11. Williams is tops in the Northeast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.12), while Treacy ranks second (2.10). Over the last five games, Williams and Treacy have combined for 46 assists against just 15 turnovers, an assist-to-ratio of 3.07.
 
Meanwhile ... In addition to doing a solid job protecting the basketball, junior guard Jon Williams is beginning to find his stroke from beyond the three-point arc. In the last five games, Williams has knocked down 12 of his 23 attempts from deep, a success rate of 52.2 percent. The surge has placed Williams second in the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage overall at 44.1 percent (26-for-59). In three seasons with the Colonials, Williams is a career 41.4 percent (132-for-319) shooter from international waters, which ranks sixth all-time in program history.
 
Did You Know? Josh Williams has scored at least 20 points in a game a total of 12 times in his two seasons with the Colonials after a game-high 20 points in an 89-78 win @ Central Connecticut (1/2/20). RMU has posted a record of 7-5 (.583) in those games. Over the last five games, Williams is shooting an even 50 percent from both the field (26-for-52) and from beyond the arc (19-for-38) in averaging 17.0 points per contest.
 
From Deep - Robert Morris has hit at least five three-pointers in each of its 14 games of the 2019-20 season after tying a season high with 14 triples in an 89-78 win @ Central Connecticut (1/2/20). Dating to last season, the Colonials have connected for at least five three-pointers in each of their last 25 games, eclipsing 10 in a game on eight occasions during that stretch. RMU is 48-18 (.727) under Andrew Toole when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game and enters Saturday's game ranked third in the Northeast Conference with an average of 9.21 three-pointers per contest.
 
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 166-46 (.783) when the Colonials are even or better in rebounding in a game, including a 157-39 (.801) mark when outrebounding their opponent.
 
Did You Know? In 10 seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 103-41 (.715) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 42-6 (.875) when eclipsing the 80-point plateau. The Colonials scored a season-high in points in a 102-62 victory over Geneva (11/27/19) in recording their first win on Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center.

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Snapchat | YouTube

Tweet #ColonialPride