GAME 34
#2 Saint Francis U (22-9) vs. #1 Robert Morris (19-14)
2020 Northeast Conference Tournament Final
Tuesday, March 10, 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)
TV: ESPN2
Talent: Dave Flemming (pxp), Sydney Johnson (color) & Meghan McKeown (sideline)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes its quest for a league-record ninth Northeast Conference Tournament title Tuesday by hosting No. 2 seed Saint Francis U for a 7:00 p.m. tip at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center in the 2020 NEC Tournament title game. The Colonials are making their seventh NEC Tournament final in the last 13 years and 14th overall in program history.
 
- RMU is making its 17th consecutive appearance in the NEC Tournament, the longest active streak in the conference. Overall, the Colonials have qualified for the NEC Tournament 36 out of a possible 39 times. Robert Morris owns league tournament records for appearances, victories (44), semifinal appearances (23) and championships (8).
 
- Robert Morris advanced to the 2020 NEC Tournament championship game with an 86-66 win over No. 4 seed LIU (3/7/20) in the semifinals at the UPMC Events Center. Junior forward AJ Bramah led five players in double figures for RMU with 18 points and also added five rebounds and two blocks.
 
- Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams contributed 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win over the Sharks, while off the bench sophomore guard Jalen Hawkins contributed 13 points and tied career highs in rebounds (7) and assists (3). Sophomore guard Dante Treacy chipped in with 12 points and eight assists, while junior guard Jon Williams finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three dimes.
 
- Under 10th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials own a record of 14-3 (.824) in NEC Tournament games when holding opponents under 70 points. When turning the trick at home in the tournament under Toole, Robert Morris owns a mark of 9-1 (.900).
 
- Robert Morris enters the final of the 2020 NEC Tournament leading the league in assists (16.55 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.29) while ranking second in the circuit in three-point field goal percentage (.362), rebounding defense (34.2) and turnover margin (+2.03).
 
- In home games at the UPMC Events Center, redshirt senior guard Josh Williams is averaging 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.3 percent (75-for-149) from the field, including 44.4 percent (48-for-108) from beyond the arc. Junior forward AJ Bramah is supplying the Colonials with averages of 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest at home while shooting 65.3 percent (77-for-118) from the floor.
 
- Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams has eclipsed the 20-point plateau nine times in 2019-20, with the Colonials owning a record of 8-1 (.889) in those contests. RMU has won eight consecutive games when Williams scores at least 20 points in a game, including a perfect mark of 7-0 at home.

SAINT FRANCIS U LINKS
- Game Notes
- Audio
- Live Stats
 
NEC Tournament Tidbits - The Colonials own a record of 30-8 (.789) in tournament games played at home, 9-12 (.429) 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 17 seasons, advancing to the semifinals 14 times over that span and the NEC Championship game seven times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019) ... 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 23 times, the most in league history.
 
LIU Tidbits - Robert Morris won its third consecutive game over LIU and improved in the all-time series against the Sharks to 49-32 (.605) ... The Colonials finished with 31 fast break points, its highest total against a Northeast Conference opponent ... RMU owned a 36-25 edge in rebounding ... Robert Morris shot 60 percent (18-for-30) from the field in the first half and 57.1 percent (28-for-49) overall ... The only higher field goal percentage for the Colonials in 2019-20 came in an 85-65 win over Howard (11/15/19) at 58.2 percent (32-for-55) ... The RMU bench outscored the LIU reserves, 24-4.
 
Did You Know? Thanks to an 86-66 victory over LIU (3/7/20) in the semifinals of the 2020 Northeast Conference Tournament, Robert Morris improved to 260-185 (.584) overall since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. During the last 13 years, the Colonials have averaged 20 wins a season.
 
The First One - Redshirt senior guard Josh Williams is the first student-athlete in program history to hit 100 three-pointers in a season on multiple occasions. Thanks to three triples in an 86-66 triumph over LIU (3/7/20) in the semifinals of the 2020 Northeast Conference Tournament, Williams pushed his season total this year to 102. Last season, Williams led the Colonials with 103 three-pointers. Williams, who ranks seventh all-time at RMU with 205 career triples, has drained 332 three-pointers in 137 career games in four years at the NCAA Division I level, an average of 2.42 per contest. With the Colonials, Williams has averaged 3.01 three-pointers per contest.
 
Converting - Robert Morris improved to 8-0 on the 2019-20 season when shooting at least 50 percent from the field thanks to a shooting percentage of 57.1 (28-for-49) in an 86-66 victory over LIU (3/7/20). Dating to last season, the Colonials have won 11 consecutive games when converting at least 50 percent of their shots from the field. Overall in 10 seasons under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, RMU owns a record of 53-6 (.898) when turning the trick.
 
Dunkin Donuts - Junior forward AJ Bramah has proven to be active around the rim for Robert Morris in his first season with the program in 2019-20, and one only needs to look at his dunks to prove that. Bramah posted a dunk in an 86-66 win over LIU (3/7/20) to push his season total in the category to 43. It's the most dunks by an RMU student-athlete in 10 years under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole.
 
A New Record - Junior guard Jon Williams established a new Robert Morris record for consecutive starts by being a member of the starting lineup in a 64-57 victory over Central Connecticut (2/1/20) at the UPMC Events Center. Williams broke the mark of 90 held by former guard Tony Lee (2005-08) and former forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08) and has started each of the 101 games he has appeared in. Across NCAA Division I, the 100 consecutive starts ranks second in the junior class, trailing only Taveion Hollingsworth of Western Kentucky (102). Williams became the fifth student-athlete all-time to start 100 career games in a 59-58 win over St. Francis Brooklyn (3/4/20).
 
Defense Wins Championships - The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Thanks to an 86-66 win over LIU (3/7/20) in the 2020 NEC Tournament semifinals, Robert Morris improved to 200-54 (.787) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Under 10th-year head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials owns a mark of 149-47 (.760) when turning the trick. Overall the last 13 years, Robert Morris has held its opponent to under 70 points 57.1 percent (254-of-445) of the time.
 
Close and Late - A common theme in the 10 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 65-41 (.613) in games decided by five points or less, including a mark of 9-7 (.563) in games decided by just a single point.
 
Did You Know? In 10 seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has compiled a record of 109-44 (.712) when scoring at least 70 points in a game. Included in that record is a mark of 44-6 (.880) 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.

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