Boxscore
Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concluded the home portion of its 2012-13 regular-season schedule Saturday night with an 89-46 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Senior Night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
In garnering their third straight win, the Colonials improved to 20-9 overall and 12-4 in the Northeast Conference, while the Knights fell to 7-22 overall and 2-14 in league play.
Thanks to the win, RMU has now won at least 20 games in five of the last six seasons, the first time the feat has been accomplished in the 32-year history of the NEC.
Fairleigh Dickinson jumped out to a 5-1 advantage as Melquan Bolding supplied the first five points for the Knights, but a 9-0 spurt allowed Robert Morris to take a 10-5 lead with 15:37 to play in the first half.
Junior forward Mike McFadden (Newark, N.J. / Technology) started the surge with four straight points, while junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, Ind. / Glen Oaks Community College) buried a three-pointer and junior guard Anthony Myers-Pate (Washington, D.C. / Charis Prep) converted a pair at the free-throw line.
FDU closed to within 10-8 and also only trailed by a basket, 17-15, at the 11:31 mark of the first half after a three-pointer by Kyle Pearson.
RMU responded to the three-pointer from Pearson, however, with a 12-2 run that allowed the Colonials to open up their first double-digit advantage, 29-17, with 8:01 left before the break.
Four different players scored during the salvo for Robert Morris, including five points from redshirt senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester).
The Colonials eventually entered intermission with a 44-25 halftime advantage as McFadden scored 10 points before the break on perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field.
RMU cruised in the second half, taking control with a 27-8 run that turned a 57-31 lead into an 84-37 advantage at the 5:52 mark.
Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) led four players in double figures for Robert Morris with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-5 from deep, and a 4-for-5 performance at the free-throw line.
McFadden added 15 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the field while converting his only attempt at the stripe, while Anderson scored 11 points off the bench.
Johnson recorded his second double-double of the 2012-13 campaign and seventh of his career with 10 points and 11 rebounds while also adding a game-high five assists.
Pearson led Fairleigh Dickinson with 14 points off the bench, while Bolding scored 12.
RMU held a 56-27 advantage on the glass, with the 56 caroms the second highest single-game total against a Division I opponent in school history. The Colonials grabbed 57 boards in an 84-66 victory over LIU Brooklyn Feb. 20, 1993.
Robert Morris concludes its 2012-13 regular season with a pair of road games, beginning Thursday, Feb. 28, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I.
