Robert Morris (14-8 / 9-1) @ Saint Francis (Pa.) (7-14 / 5-5)
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 - 7:30 p.m.
DeGol Arena (3,500) - Loretto, Pa.

Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team returns to the court Thursday night by taking part in “Rivalry Week” as part of a Northeast Conference promotion with a 7:30 p.m. tip against Saint Francis (Pa.) at DeGol Arena in Loretto, Pa. The Colonials will conclude the home-and-home series by hosting the Red Flash Saturday, Feb. 6, for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Charles L. Sewall Center. RMU ran its winning streak to seven and capped a 9-1 record in the month of January with a 74-56 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) (1/30/10) in its last contest. Freshman guard Karon Abraham tied a career high with 23 points to lead the way against the Terriers, while senior guard Mezie Nwigwe and senior forward Josiah Whitehead each contributed 10 points.

Quick Stat of the Night - While defense has been at the heart of RMU's seven-game winning streak, it has never been more evident than the last four contests. The Colonials enter Thursday's game @ Saint Francis (Pa.) having held each of their last four opponents under 60 points, the first time in the 34-year history of the program Robert Morris has accomplished the feat. Over the last four games, RMU is allowing just 54.2 points per game on 31.2 percent (63-for-202) shooting from the field, including 26.7 percent (24-for-90) from beyond the arc. The defensive stand has the Colonials ranked first in the Northeast Conference in both field goal percent defense (.372) and three-point field goal percent defense (.317) against league foes.

Thursday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - The longest running rivalry in program history, Robert Morris and Saint Francis (Pa.) will meet for the 66th time Thursday night. The Colonials hold a 37-28 (.569) edge in the all-time series and have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two programs. RMU enters Thursday's game against the Red Flash having won five straight at DeGol Arena, tied for the most consecutive road victories against a Northeast Conference opponent in school history. Robert Morris also won five straight @ Wagner from 1988 to 1992. In a 74-62 victory last season in Loretto, Pa., forward Dallas Green scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and posted four blocks.

Head Coach Mike Rice (Third Season; Fordham '91) - Simply put, Mike Rice has put the men's basketball program at Robert Morris University back on the map. Just 22 months after being named the seventh head coach in the 34-year history of the program, Rice led the Colonials to their sixth Northeast Conference Tournament championship with a thrilling 48-46 win over Mount St. Mary's March 11, 2009, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The win helped RMU earn its sixth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1992.

In three years as a head coach, Rice has been at the helm of a program that has claimed back-to-back NEC regular-season championships, its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 2008 and the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Along the way, a total of 16 school records have either been tied or broken under Rice's watch, including victories (26 in 2007-08), NEC wins (16 in 2007-08) and consecutive victories (14 in 2007-08). Robert Morris also posted 15 straight wins in NEC road games over the course of the last two seasons, a conference record.

The two-time reigning Northeast Conference Jim Phelan Coach of the Year, Rice owns an overall record of 64-27 (.703), including a mark 40-6 (.870) against league foes. He signed a three-year contract extension with Robert Morris in April of 2009, meaning he will lead the Colonials through the 2015-16 season.

Rice was named the seventh head coach in the 34-year Division I history of the program at a press conference in the Sewall Center on RMU's Moon Township Campus April 26, 2007. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rice has appeared in the NCAA or NIT Tournament seven times as an assistant coach and twice as the head coach at Robert Morris.

Rice brought to RMU a vast background in collegiate coaching, having served as an assistant coach at alma mater Fordham (1991-94), Marquette (1994-97), Niagara (1997-98), Chicago State (1998-2001), Saint Joseph's (2004-06) and Pittsburgh (2006-07).

A 1991 graduate of Fordham, Rice was a three-year starter for the Rams at guard. He appeared in 117 career games, serving as team captain of a 1990-91 squad that posted an overall record of 25-8. That season Fordham earned an appearance in the NIT. Rice and his wife, Kerry, have two children, son Michael and daughter Katie, and reside in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Scouting the Red Flash - Saint Francis (Pa.) has won two straight entering Thursday's game against Robert Morris and owns an overall record of 7-14, including a 5-5 mark in the Northeast Conference. The Red Flash own a record of 5-1 at home against league foes so far this season. Saint Francis (Pa.) is coming off a 74-73 overtime victory against Long Island (1/30/10) in which senior forward Devin Sweetney recorded his third double-double of the year and 17th of his career with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Sweetney averages 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and also ranks second for the Red Flash in both assists (40) and steals (21).

Saint Francis (Pa.) Head Coach - Named the 20th head coach in the history of Saint Francis (Pa.) men's basketball April 20, 2008, and in his second season leading the Red Flash program is Don Friday (Lebanon Valley '90). He owns a career record of 96-86 (.527), including a mark of 13-37 (.260) with the Red Flash.

RMU's Last Game - Three Colonials scored in double figures as Robert Morris cruised to its seventh straight win, Jan. 30, with a 74-56 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Akeem Bennett gave St. Francis (N.Y.) an early 4-1 advantage with a three-pointer less than a minute into the contest, but Robert Morris used a 12-2 spurt to take a 13-6 advantage and never trailed the rest of the game. Freshman guard Karon Abraham hit a three-pointer to tie the game, 4-4, and hit a pair from long range to bolster the Colonials during the run, while seniors Mezie Nwigwe, Dallas Green and Rob Robinson each hit baskets. Redshirt freshman Russell Johnson gave RMU a 15-10 advantage with a jumper with 12:50 remaining before halftime, but the Colonials went the next eight minutes without a field goal, missing six shots from the field while suffering four turnovers. Despite the drought, Robert Morris stayed in front by converting all 10 of its attempts at the free-throw line, including six from Abraham and two each from freshman forward Brad Piehl and redshirt freshman guard Velton Jones. The Terriers were able to trim their deficit to two on a pair of occasions while the Colonials suffered shooting but couldn't grab the lead. Senior forward Josiah Whitehead converted a layup with 4:57 remaining before halftime to give RMU a 27-19 edge, and the Colonials eventually entered the break with a nine-point advantage, 34-25. Robert Morris stretched its lead into double digits, 37-25, early in the second half thanks to three straight points from Jones, and a layup from Piehl at the 13:18 mark of the second half gave Robert Morris a 17-point cushion, 46-29. The Terriers could never trim their deficit into single digits the rest of the contest, with RMU taking its biggest lead and settling the final score with just 50 seconds to play, 74-56, when Abraham buried his fifth three-pointer of the game from deep with the shot clock winding down. Abraham tied a career high with 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a 6-for-6 performance at the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, two assists and two steals while converting five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. Whitehead and Nwigwe each contributed 10 points, with Whitehead playing a season-high 19 minutes and converting five of his six attempts from the field.

Leading Scorers: Abraham (23), Nwigwe (10), Whitehead (10), Jones (8)
Leading Rebounders: Wallace (7), Robinson (5), Green (4), Nwigwe (4), Abraham (4)
Assists: Jones (6), Nwigwe (3), Abraham (2), Robinson (2), Wallace (2)

St. Francis (N.Y.) Game Notes - RMU improved to 37-23 (.617) all-time against the Terriers with the victory ... Robert Morris shot 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the field in the second half and 48.9 percent (23-for-47) overall ... St. Francis (N.Y.) was held to 34.7 percent (17-for-49) shooting ... The Colonials posted 15 assists on their 23 field goals, including six by redshirt freshman guard Velton Jones ... RMU forced 20 turnovers by the Terriers, turning those into 25 points ... The two teams combined for 50 fouls, including 26 by Robert Morris.

Seven - While RMU's defense has been stellar during its current seven-game winning streak, the offense has been solid, as well. Over the course of the last seven games Robert Morris is shooting 46.5 percent (159-for-342) from the field, with a pair of Colonials shooting 50 percent or better. Seniors Mezie Nwigwe and Rob Robinson have combined to shoot 53.2 percent (50-for-94) from the field, with Robinson converting 54.3 percent (25-for-46) of his shots. Coincidentally, RMU's starting lineup of Nwigwe, redshirt freshman Velton Jones and freshman Karon Abraham at guard and Robinson and senior Dallas Green at forward enters Thursday's game with a perfect 7-0 record together.

One Down, Two to Go? Thanks to a 6-for-6 performance at the free-throw line in a 74-56 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) (1/30/10), freshman guard Karon Abraham pushed his season total in free throws to 82, helping him establish a new RMU freshman record in the category. The old record of 76 free throws was held by former guard and all-time leading scorer Myron Walker (1990-94) during his freshman season in 1990-91. For Abraham, it's one of three freshman records within his grasp on the 2009-10 campaign ...

Three Points - Freshman guard Karon Abraham leads RMU in three-pointers this season with 51, and he enters Thursday's game @ Saint Francis (Pa.) just six three-pointers shy of establishing a new freshman record in the category. The current record is held by former guard Bubba Donnelly (1991-95), who buried 56 three-pointers in 1991-92. Abraham is also 128 points shy of breaking former guard Jeremy Chappell's (2005-09) freshman mark for points in a season. Chapell finished with 410 points in 2005-06 en route to 2006 NEC Rookie of the Year honors.

Paint By Numbers - While Robert Morris has been known to have the ability to knock down the three-point shot in recent years, the Colonials in recent weeks are doing their damage offensively inside. During its seven-game winning streak, RMU is averaging 28.6 points in the paint per contest, almost 10 points better (19.7 ppg) than its opponents. Overall this season Robert Morris is averaging 25.0 points down low per game. So far this year the Colonials are a perfect 8-0 in games when scoring at least 30 points in the paint and are an amazing 36-4 (.900) in three years under head coach Mike Rice when turning the trick.

Start Me Up - Robert Morris may have found a consistent offensive presence in Karon Abraham, and the freshman guard has really flourished since being inserted into the starting lineup. Over the last 11 games, a stretch in which the Colonials are 10-1 (.909), Abraham is averaging 15.5 points per contest while shooting 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from beyond the arc and 87.1 percent (54-for-62) at the free-throw line. Abraham enters Thursday's game @ Saint Francis (Pa.) leading Robert Morris in scoring at 12.9 points per contest and owns a team-high 51 three-pointers. Abraham's scoring average, three-point field goal shooting percentage (.451) and average of 2.32 three-pointers per contest are the highest marks by a freshman in the Northeast Conference.