Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #10
Toledo (7-0) vs. Robert Morris (3-6)
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 • 4:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.
Radio: 970 ESPN 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 returns home for just its third home game of the 2013-14 campaign Saturday by hosting Toledo in a 4:00 p.m. tip at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials are coming off an 84-76 setback @ Youngstown State (12/4/13), which wrapped up an 0-4 road trip and also marked RMU's sixth consecutive road loss. Junior forward Lucky Jones paced Robert Morris against the Penguins with a career-high 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from deep, and a perfect 7-for-7 performance at the free-throw line. Senior guard Karvel Anderson added 18 points against YSU, while freshman forward Jeremiah Worthem contributed 12 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Senior forward Mike McFadden also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points while adding four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. The Colonials will have a week off before returning to action after taking on the Rockets Saturday, returning to the road for a 2:00 p.m. tip against Duquesne at the A.J. Palumbo Center Saturday, Dec. 14.


 
Quick Stat of the Night - Barring injury, junior forward Lucky Jones should join the Robert Morris 1,000-point and 500-rebound clubs at some point during the 2013-14 campaign. Jones enters Saturday's game against Toledo as RMU's active leader in both points (813) and rebounds (462) and would need to average 8.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in the final 22 games of the 2013-14 regular season to became the 13th player in school history to eclipse both totals. Jones, who is averaging 13.6 points per game to rank second for the Colonials, has shown a penchant in getting to the free-throw line so far this season. Jones is 40-for-47 at the stripe in 2013-14, a success rate of 85.1 percent that ranks fourth in the Northeast Conference. Jones has converted at least six free throws in five of RMU's nine games this season, including perfect 7-for-7 performances @ Eastern Michigan (11/14/13) and @ Youngstown State (12/4/13).      
 
Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Robert Morris and Toledo square off on the hardwood for just the second time Saturday, with the Colonials having claimed the inaugural meeting between the two programs. As part of the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, RMU earned a 69-51 victory over the Rockets at Savage Arena (3/17/12). In that contest, Robert Morris shot an event 50 percent (23-for-46) from the field, including 47.6 percent (10-for-21) from beyond the arc. Former guard Coron Williams (2009-13) was one of four Colonials to reach double figures in scoring against the Rockets with a team-high 17 points. Off the bench, forward Lucky Jones scored 13 points, tied for game-high honors with six rebounds and also posted two steals. Jones shot 5-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
 
Worthy Addition - Jeremiah Worthem has grown into his role with Robert Morris in his first season of Division I basketball, and the freshman forward came of age during RMU's recent four-game road trip. Worthem has supplied the Colonials with averages of 11.8 points and a team-high 5.5 rebounds over his last four games while shooting 53.6 percent (15-for-28) from the field and 65.2 percent (15-for-23) at the free-throw line. During that stretch he established career highs for points (16) @ Cleveland State (11/23/13) as well as rebounds (8) @ Youngstown State (12/4/13). Overall on the 2013-14 campaign, Worthem enters Saturday's game against Toledo averaging 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
 
A Streak Snapped - All good things must come to an end, and for Robert Morris, it had one of its most impressive streaks snapped in an 84-76 setback @ Youngstown State (12/4/13). The Colonials shot a season-high 50 percent (27-for-54) from the field against the Penguins, snapping a streak of 35 consecutive victories dating back to the 2008-09 campaign when RMU converted at least 50 percent of its shots from the floor. It also marked the first loss for Robert Morris under fourth-year head coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick, as the Colonials are now 20-1 (.952) under Toole when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. 
 
Finding A Rhythm - Junior forward Lucky Jones developed into one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the Northeast Conference in 2012-13 and after a slow start this season has begun to heat up from beyond the arc. Jones is coming off a four-game road trip in which he averaged 16.0 points per contest in large part because of his ability to convert from deep. Over the last four games, Jones has converted 53.3 percent (8-for-15) of his three-point field goal attempts. The surge has pushed Jones into a tie for 11th in the Northeast Conference so far this season in three-point field goal percentage at 36.8% (14-for-38).