Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #6
Robert Morris (3-2) @ Cleveland State (2-2)
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 • 3:00 p.m.
Wolstein Center (13,610) • Cleveland, Ohio
Radio: 970 ESPN AM
Radio Talent: Adam Gusky (play-by-play) & Jim Elias (color)
 
Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes play in the Keightley Classic by opening a four-game road trip Saturday afternoon when it visits Cleveland, Ohio, for a 3:00 p.m. tip against Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center. The Colonials are coming off an 88-81 victory over UT Arlington (11/21/13) as senior guard Karvel Anderson led four players in double figures scoring for RMU with 24 points. Anderson tied a Charles L. Sewall Center for three-point field goals by a Robert Morris student-athlete, finishing 8-for-10 from beyond the arc. Junior forward Lucky Jones registered his first double-double of the 2013-14 season and third of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Mavs, while senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate contributed 10 points and nine assists. Junior guard Charles Oliver added 11 points off the bench for the Colonials. RMU's four-game road swing that begins Saturday covers three states and 12 days. Robert Morris travels to Buffalo, N.Y., after taking on the Vikings Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. tip against the University at Buffalo Tuesday, Nov. 26, and will also visit Delaware (11/30) and Youngstown State (12/4) during its road trip. 


 
Quick Stat of the Night - It's early in the 2013-14 season, but the Colonials are showing that on certain nights they have the ability to be an explosive offensive team. RMU snapped a two-game slide with an 88-81 victory over UT Arlington (11/21/13) and in each of its three wins this season has eclipse the 85-point plateau, marking the first time Robert Morris has scored at least 85 points in each of its three wins since 1990-91. The Colonials are also 2-1 (.667) so far this when allowing 80 or more points in a game, marking their first two victories under fourth-year head coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick. Prior to this season, RMU was 0-13 under Toole when yielding at least 80 points to its opponent. On the other end of the spectrum, the Colonials are 19-1 (.950) under Toole when scoring at least 80 points in a game, with their only loss an 85-82 overtime setback @ LIU Brooklyn (3/9/11) in the 2011 NEC Tournament championship game.
 
Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - RMU and Cleveland State meet on the hardwood for the 14th time Saturday, with the Colonials owning a 7-6 (.538) advantage in the all-time series. The two programs have met in each of the last four seasons, splitting the games, 2-2. Last season at the Charles L. Sewall Center (11/20/13) as part of the NIT Preseason Tip Off, Robert Morris posted a 71-62 victory over Cleveland State as forward Mike McFadden and guard Velton Jones (2008-13) each scored 15 points to pace the Colonials. Forward Lucky Jones also added 13 points and eight rebounds against the Vikings. RMU used a 9-2 run late in the contest to break away from Cleveland State and went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line in the final 2:03 to seal the win.
 
A Special Night Part Deux - Senior guard Karvel Anderson added to his legacy as one of the best three-point shooters in school history in an 88-81 win over UT Arlington (11/21/13), tying a Charles L. Sewall Center record for three-pointers by a student-athlete from RMU with eight. Anderson finished 8-for-10 from beyond the arc against the Mavericks en route to a team-high 24 points. It marks the second time Anderson has connected for eight three-pointers in a game at "The Chuck," as he also accomplished the feat in an 84-76 win over Ohio (12/1/12). Anderson, one of six Colonials in school history to bury eight three-point field goals in a game at the Sewall Center, is the first to turn the trick twice. Anderson heads into a four-game road trip leading Robert Morris in scoring (19.0 ppg) while owning a team-high 22 three-pointers, an average of 4.4 per contest that is tops in the Northeast Conference.
 
Double Trouble - Lucky Jones is certainly someone who can fill the stat sheet, and the junior forward did just that in an 88-81 victory over UT Arlington (11/21/13). Jones recorded his first double-double of the 2013-14 season and third of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds and also added a career-high four assists and four steals. Jones, RMU's active leader in both points (749) and rebounds (441), has produced a large portion of his offense so far this season at the free-throw line. Through five games, Jones is 22-for-26 at the stripe, a success rate of 84.6 percent that ranks fourth in the Northeast Conference. Thanks to his early surge at the chalk this season, Jones currently ranks 17th all-time at RMU for career free throws (233) and ninth in career free-throw percentage (.801).
 
Double Nickel On A Dime - Senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate dished out a season-high nine assists in RMU's 88-81 victory over UT Arlington (11/21/13) to go along with 10 points, and thanks to his performance cracked the top 10 all-time in program history for career dimes. Myers-Pate enters Saturday's game @ Cleveland State with 340 career assists, which eclipsed former Colonial Jeremy Chappell (2005-09) for 10th all-time at Robert Morris. Through five games of the 2013-14 season, Myers owns 25 assists against just 10 turnovers to rank second in the Northeast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.50) while ranking third in the circuit in assists per game (5.00). In 106 career contests, Myers-Pate has proven to be a steady ball handler, posting a career 1.87 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
International Waters - Robert Morris is coming off a record-breaking season in shooting from beyond the arc in 2012-13, and the Colonials have picked up right where they left off from a season ago. Through the first five games of the 2013-14 season, RMU has converted 47 of its 119 attempts (39.5 percent) from beyond the arc. While it's been a balanced attack, senior guard Karvel Anderson leads the Colonials with a team-high 22 field goals from beyond the arc. Robert Morris has drilled at least 11 three-pointers in each of its first three victories of the 2013-14 campaign, helping the Colonials improve to 26-3 (.897) in four seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when converting at least 10 three-pointers in a contest.

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