GAME 16
St. Francis Brooklyn (7-6 / 1-0 NEC) vs. RMU (6-9 / 2-0 NEC)
Thursday, January 9, 2020 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center (4,000) • 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, winners of four of its last five games, opens a four-game homestand at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against St. Francis Brooklyn. The Colonials have played just three home games through the first half of the 2019-20 campaign.
 
- RMU concluded a two-game road swing through New England with a 69-58 victory @ Merrimack (1/4/20). Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams scored a game-high 17 points to pace RMU, while off the bench junior forward AJ Bramah tied a career high with 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
 
- Sophomore guard Jalen Hawkins contributed 12 points in the win over the Warriors, while senior forward Yannis Mendy and sophomore guard Dante Treacy each scored 10 points. Mendy tied for game-high honors in rebounds with eight.
 
- Robert Morris enters Thursday's game against St. Francis Brooklyn leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.369), assists (16.40 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.19). The Colonials also rank second in the circuit in rebounding defense (34.8), trailing just Saint Francis U (34.3).
 
- Over the last five games, RMU is shooting 43.4 percent (53-for-122) from beyond the arc and is averaging 10.6 three-pointers per contest. Guards Josh Williams, Jon Williams, Jalen Hawkins and Dante Treacy have combined to shoot 46-for-85 (54.1%) from international waters during that stretch.
 
- The Colonials have posted a record of 14-5 (.737) during the month of January during the last three seasons. Overall in 10 years under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris owns a mark of 51-31 (.622) in January.
 
- The RMU bench has scored at least 25 points in each of its last six games and nine of its last 12. The Colonials are 6-3 (.667) in 2019-20 when the reserves supply at least 25 points per game, and the bench is averaging 29.2 points per game over the last six contests.
 
- Robert Morris 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 2-for-2 at the free-throw line.

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN LINKS
- Game Notes
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
Merrimack Tidbits - The meeting between the Colonials and Warriors was the first between the two programs ... Merrimack is in its first season as a member of the Northeast Conference ... RMU finished 3-4 (.429) in 2019-20 when squaring off with an opponent for the first time ... The Warriors are led by Joe Gallo, who served as an assistant coach at Robert Morris from 2012 to 2016 ... Robert Morris posted a season-low in three-point attempts (16) while holding an opponent to its fewest points (58) in 2019-20 ... The Colonials outscored the Warriors, 44-30, in the second half, with the 30 points the fewest points scored by an opponent in the second half in 2019-20.
 
Five Against One - Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams has knocked down at least five three-pointers in three of the last five games as well as six times overall in 2019-20. In his two years in a Robert Morris uniform, Williams has connected for at least five triples in a game 11 times, with the Colonials owning a mark of 7-4 (.636) in those contests. The last five games are part of a stretch in which Williams is playing arguably his best basketball at RMU. In the last eight contests, Williams is supplying RMU with averages of 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 three-point field goals, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per games, knocking down 49.3 percent (33-for-67) of his shots from deep. 
 
The Insider - While redshirt senior guard Josh Williams has been a force from outside in recent weeks, junior forward AJ Bramah has been doing his job around the rim. In a 69-58 win @ Merrimack (1/4/20), Bramah tied a career with 16 points, his 11th consecutive game reaching double figures. During that span, Bramah is averaging 12.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 53.6 percent (52-for-97) from the field. Bramah owns three double-doubles during the last 11 games and four overall in 2019-20, which is tied for third in the Northeast Conference.
 
Leap Frog - Thanks to a game-high 17 points in a 69-58 victory @ Merrimack (1/4/20), redshirt senior guard Josh Williams jumped past three former Colonials to crack the top 15 all-time in program history for points. Williams owns 1,213 career points, including 724 in two seasons at Robert Morris after transferring from the University of Akron. Williams jumped over former guard Andre Boyd (1,204) and former forwards Russell Johnson (1,208) and Tom Underman (1,210) into 15th place. In 50 career games at RMU, each as a member of the starting lineup, Williams is averaging 14.5 points per contest and has knocked down 156 three-pointers, an average of 3.12 per game. The career school record for three-point field goals made per game is 2.91 by former guard Karvel Anderson (2012-14).
 
From Deep - Robert Morris has hit at least five three-pointers in each of its 15 games of the 2019-20 season after going 8-for-16 from downtown in a 69-58 victory @ Merrimack (1/4/20). Dating to last season, the Colonials have connected for at least five three-pointers in each of their last 26 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 9.13 three-pointers per contest.
 
Defensively Speaking - Robert Morris has won 20 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 60 points dating back to the 2016-17 season after a 69-58 win @ Merrimack (1/4/20). In 10 years under Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 67-7 (.905) overall when turning the trick.
 
Start Me Up - Junior guard Jon Williams owns RMU's active streaks for games played and starts, both of which are at 83 games entering Thursday's game. Williams is just the fifth student-athlete in program history to start at least 80 consecutive games. Sitting in fourth for is former forward Chaz McCrommon (2000-05), who started the final 85 games of his career. Across NCAA Division I, the 83 consecutive starts ranks third in the junior class, trailing Matt Coleman III (84) from Texas and Taveion Hollingsworth of Western Kentucky (86). 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).
 
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