Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #13
Robert Morris (5-7) @ Oakland (3-9) *
Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013 • 1:00 p.m.
Athletics Center O'rena (3,000) • Rochester, Mich.
* Oakland hosts Eastern Michigan 12/21/13
 
Radio: 1320 WJAS AM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Elias (color)
Follow RMU Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a five-game road trip Sunday afternoon in search of its third straight victory when it visits Rochester, Mich., for a 1:00 p.m. tip against Oakland at the Athletics Center O'rena. The Colonials are coming off a 72-61 victory over Campbell (12/18/13) in their final non-conference home game of the 2013-14 season as junior forward Lucky Jones led RMU with 18 points and five rebounds. Also reaching double figures in the win over the Camels were senior guards Karvel Anderson and Anthony Myers-Pate, who supplied 16 and 12 points, respectively. Myers-Pate also added eight assists as Robert Morris used a 15-7 run late in the game to pull away from Campbell. The Colonials continue their five-road swing after taking on the Grizzlies Monday, Dec. 30, in Stillwater, Okla., with a 7:00 p.m. EST tilt against Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU. RMU will close out its non-conference slate with a road game @ Alabama (1/4/14) and open Northeast Conference play with contests @ Sacred Heart (1/9/14) and @ Bryant (1/11/14) as part of its road trip.     


 
Quick Stat of the Night - RMU's five-game road trip that begins Sunday afternoon with a 1:00 p.m. tip @ Oakland marks the fourth time the Colonials will play at least five consecutive road games under fourth-year head coach Andrew Toole. RMU's current road swing is one short of its longest under Toole, as the Colonials had a six-game trip during his first season at the helm of the program in 2010-11. In all, Robert Morris will travel 5,572 miles on its upcoming trip that will see the program visit Oakland (Rochester, Mich.), Oklahoma State (Stillwater, Okla.), Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), Sacred Heart (Fairfield, Conn.) and Bryant (Smithfield, R.I.). Once the trip is complete, it will also close a stretch for RMU in which it played 13 of 16 games away from the friendly confines of the Charles L. Sewall Center.        
 
Sunday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - RMU and Oakland will meet on the hardwood for just the second time Sunday and the first time since the 2001-02 season. The Grizzlies grabbed the first game in the all-time series with a 77-53 win over the Colonials as part of the University Hoops Classic that was hosted by Robert Morris at the Charles L. Sewall Center (11/25/01). RMU fell behind Oakland, 35-22, at halftime in its final contest of three games in three days as part of the regular-season tournament. Former guard Maurice Carter (2001-005), in just his fourth collegiate game, led the Colonials against the Grizzlies with 19 points on the strength of a 10-for-11 performance at the free-throw line, while former forward Chaz McCrommon (2000-05) added 11 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor.
 
The Yuletide Spirit - Something about the month of December must bring out the best in senior guard Karvel Anderson. Maybe it's the holiday season, yet whatever it is, Anderson has been an offensive force. In RMU's last four games, Anderson has supplied the Colonials with a scoring average of 18.5 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent (25-for-45) from the field, including 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from beyond the arc. In 10 career games during the month of December in a Robert Morris uniform, Anderson is averaging 16.9 points per contest while shooting 54.2 percent (57-for-105) from the floor, including 56 percent (42-for-75) from deep. More importantly, RMU owns a record of 7-3 (.700) the last two years in the month of December thanks to Anderson's offensive prowess.
 
Get Lucky - While senior guard Karvel Anderson has been hot this month, so has junior forward Lucky Jones. RMU's active leader in both points (861) and rebounds (481), Jones enters Sunday's game @ Oakland having averaged 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in his last four games while shooting 58.5 percent (24-for-41) from the field, including 55 percent (11-for-20) from beyond the arc, and 81.3 percent (13-for-16) at the free-throw line. Jones is the only player in the Northeast Conference to rank in the top 10 in each shooting category, as he ranks fifth in the league in free-throw percentage (.821), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.407) and eighth in field goal percentage (.472). Jones is just 19 rebounds shy of becoming the 17th member of Robert Morris 500-rebound club and, barring injury, should be the 22nd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points.
 
Selective Stewart - Kavon Stewart has settled into the rotation after missing six games earlier this season, as the freshman guard is averaging 5.4 points, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals in his last five games while shoting 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the floor. Stewart posted a career-high four steals in RMU's 72-61 victory over Campbell (12/18/13) and in six games on the year already ranks third for the Colonials in thefts with nine (1.5 per game).     
 
Shooter - Senior guard Karvel Anderson enters Sunday's game @ Oakland having reached double figures in scoring in each of RMU's first 12 games of the 2013-14 season as well as 13 straight dating back to last season. It marks the longest streak by a member of the Colonials since former guard Velton Jones (2008-13) scored in double figures in 19 consecutive games from Feb. 19, 2011 to Dec. 22, 2011. During his streak, Anderson is averaging 18.4 points per contest while shooting 50.6 percent (83-for-164) from the field, including 48.9 percent (48-for-98) from deep. Anderson, who scored at least 20 points in a game a total of five times last year, has already eclipsed the 20-point plateau five times this season. Thanks to his 23-point performance against Toledo (12/7/13), Anderson became the 20th player in school history with at least 10 games of 20 or more points.   
 
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 Sunday's tilt @ Oakland with 372 career assists,  a total that eclipsed former Colonial Jeremy Chappell (2005-09) for 10th all-time at Robert Morris. Through 12 games of the 2013-14 season, Myers owns 57 assists against 21 turnovers to rank second in the Northeast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.71) while ranking fifth in the circuit in assists per game (4.75). In 113 career contests, Myers-Pate has proven to be a steady ball handler, posting a career 1.93 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 12 games of the 2013-14 season, RMU has converted 99 of its 243 attempts (40.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Robert Morris enters Sunday's game @ Oakland leading the Northeast Conference in both three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made per game (8.25). Robert Morris has drilled at least 10 three-pointers in five of its first 12 games of the 2013-14 campaign, posting a 4-1 (.800) record in those contests. RMU is 27-4 (.871) in four seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when converting at least 10 three-pointers in a game.
 
Defense Wins Championships - At the heart of the resurgence of the Robert Morris basketball program over the last seven seasons has been defense. Thanks to a 72-61 victory over Campbell (12/18/13) at the Charles L. Sewall Center, RMU improved to 111-22 (.835) since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign when holding its opponent to less than 70 points. In four seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials are 60-15 (.800) when turning the trick.
 
HISTORICAL NOTE
In The Beginning - Robert Morris was the first institution to jump directly from the junior college ranks to NCAA Division I. RMU played basketball at the junior college level for 13 seasons from 1963 to 1976, posting a record of 287-58 (.832) under head coach Gus Krop. Krop led the Colonials to a record of 30-1 (.968) in 1968-69 in its sixth season as a junior college program, with its only loss a 79-76 setback to Paducah (Ky.) in the national title game. In his time leading Robert Morris, Krop coached nine All-Americans and also recruited Earl Cureton, a native of Detroit, Mich., who played one season with the Colonials when it was a junior college program (1975-76) as well as the first season of Division I basketball in 1976-77.

Tweet #MOmentum