Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #9
Robert Morris (3-5) @ Youngstown State (6-3)
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 • 7:45 p.m.
Beeghly Center (6,300) • Youngstown, Ohio
Radio: WPIT AM 730
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Elias (color)
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Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team wraps up a four-game road trip Wednesday by traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, for a 7:45 p.m. tip against Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center. The Colonials have dropped three straight after suffering an 86-67 loss @ Delaware (11/30/13) and have also lost five straight on the road since posting a 90-81 win @ Lafayette (11/12/13) in their first road contest of the 2013-14 season. Against the Blue Hens, senior guard Karvel Anderson paced RMU with a season-high 25 points, converting 10 of his 16 shots from the field, including a 5-for-9 performance from beyond the arc. Anderson tied a career high in field goals @ Delaware, played a career-high 35 minutes and also recorded three rebounds, a block and a steal. The only other player from Robert Morris to reach double figures in scoring against the Blue Hens was senior forward Mike McFadden, who scored 11 points in the second half. The Colonials return home to the Charles L. Sewall Center after taking on the Penguins Wednesday by hosting Toledo Saturday, Dec. 7, in a 4:00 p.m. tilt.


 
Quick Stat of the Night - Senior guard Karvel Anderson has been RMU's main offensive force in the early going of the 2013-14 season, averaging 18.2 points per contest through the first eight games of the season. It's the hottest start by a member of Colonials since former forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08) averaged 19.4 points over RMU's first eight games of the 2006-07 campaign. Anderson has done the majority of his damage for Robert Morris from beyond the three-point arc, as he leads the Northeast Conference and enters the week ranked 19th in NCAA Division I in three-point field goals made per game at 3.38. Anderson is on pace to finish the regular season with 105 three-pointers, which would establish a new single-season record, eclipsing the mark of 93 set by former guard Scott Shepherd (1988-91) in 1988-89. In 41 career contests at RMU, Anderson owns 109 three-pointers, an average of 2.66 per game that is tops in the record book.
 
Wednesday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Meeting on the hardwood for the 14th time Wednesday is Robert Morris and Youngstown State, with the Colonials holding a 9-4 (.692) edge in the all-time series. RMU enters Wednesday's contest against the Penguins having won the last seven meetings between the two programs, and the nine victories against YSU are the most Robert Morris has posted against a non-conference opponent in school history. In the last meeting, former guard Coron Williams (2009-13) sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to help lift the Colonials to a 59-56 victory over the Penguins at the Beeghly Center (12/22/11). Williams finished with 14 points in the win, while former guard Velton Jones (2008-13) led the way with 15 points and also added five rebounds and six assists.
 
Worthy Addition - Freshman forward Jeremiah Worthem earned the first start of his career @ Delaware (11/30/13), supplying the Colonials with six points and five rebounds in 27 minutes of action. Despite struggling with his shot against the Blue Hens, Worthem has been RMU's most consistent player during its four-game road trip, averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in the last three games while shooting 50 percent (11-for-22) from the field and 61.1 percent (11-for-18) at the free-throw line. Worthem, who was named the Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week Nov. 25, 2013, enters Wednesday's tilt @ Youngstown State averaging 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds overall on the season.
 
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 seven games of the 2013-14 season, RMU has converted 63 of its 171 attempts (36.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Robert Morris enters Wednesday's tilt @ Youngstown State leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage while ranking third in three-point field goals made per game (7.88). 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.
 
On The Offensive - Robert Morris entered the 2013-14 campaign with an impressive streak intact, as the Colonials have won 35 consecutive games when shooting 50 percent or better from the field dating back to the 2008-09 season. The last loss for RMU when hitting at least half its shots came in a 92-72 setback @ Pittsburgh (2/2/09), when the Colonials shot 57.4 percent (27-for-47). Under fourth-year head coach Andrew Toole, RMU is a perfect 20-0 when turning the trick.

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