Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #20
Sacred Heart (4-15, 1-3 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (9-10, 4-0 NEC)
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 • 7:00 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 opens a four-game homestand Thursday when it welcomes Sacred Heart to the Charles L. Sewall Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip. The Colonials are coming off a 77-69 win @ Mount St. Mary's (1/18/14), their fourth straight victory, as freshman forward Jeremiah Worthem led the way with a career-high 21 points by converting seven of his 11 shots from the field while going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Worthem's three-pointer with 8:58 to play ignited a 16-5 run that helped the Colonials grab an eight-point lead, 65-57, with Worthem scoring seven straight points. RMU sealed the win by converting 12 of its 14 attempts at the free-throw line in the final 3:50 of action. Worthem averaged 16.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games last week to earn his second NEC Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honor. Junior forward Lucky Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career double-double against the Mount, while senior guard Karvel Anderson finished with 12 points. Robert Morris continues its four-game homestand after hosting the Pioneers when Wagner visits the Sewall Center for a 4:00 p.m. tip Saturday, Jan. 25.  


 
Quick Stat of the Night - Two Colonials that have upped their game and have helped Robert Morris sport a four-game winning streak entering Thursday's game against Sacred Heart are sophomore forwards Aaron Tate and Stephan Hawkins. In a 77-69 win @ Mount St. Mary's (1/18/14), Tate scored five points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, while Hawkins tied a season high with eight points. So far in Northeast Conference play, the duo has combined to average 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2 percent (14-for-34) from the field. Tate has especially played well, ranking second for the Colonials in rebounding during league play with an average of 4.8 rebounds per contest and having recorded six steals, which ranks second behind junior forward Lucky Jones (8). Tate has also shot 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the floor in RMU's first four NEC games.
 
Thursday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Robert Morris and Sacred Heart tip for the 26th time Thursday, with the Colonials owning a 17-8 (.680) advantage in the all-time series. RMU enters the contest having won five straight over the Pioneers, including a 79-70 win at the William H. Pitt Center (1/19/14) in Fairfield, Conn., in the opening game of the 2013-14 season series. In that contest senior guard Karvel Anderson led RMU with a career-high 36 points, including a three-pointer with 29 seconds to go that helped seal the victory. Anderson finished 15-for-19 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, and also added five rebounds and three steals in the win. Junior forward Lucky Jones contributed 17 points in the victory for RMU.   
 
Shooter - Senior guard Karvel Anderson enters Thursday's game against Sacred Heart as RMU's leading scorer, producing an average of 19.2 points per game, and is threatening to establish a new single-season school record for three-pointers. Anderson, who leads the NEC in three-point field goals made per game (3.53), is on pace to conclude the 2013-14 regular season with 109 triples. That total would eclipse the single-season school record of 93 that was established by former guard Scott Shepherd (1988-91) as a sophomore in 1988-89 and has stood for almost 25 years. Anderson enters action this week ranked sixth in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal percentage (47.9%) and ninth in three-point field goals made per game. In 52 career contests, Anderson has drilled 149 three-pointers, an average of 2.87 per game that would establish a new career record.
 
Free Is For Me - Robert Morris has improved its concentration at the free-throw line since entering Northeast Conference play, as the Colonials currently pace the circuit against league foes in free-throw percentage at 84 percent (63-for-75). In a 77-69 victory @ Mount St. Mary's (1/18/14), the Colonials converted 25-of-30 (83.3 percent) at the chalk, including a combined 11-for-11 from forwards Jeremiah Worthem (6-for-6) and Lucky Jones (5-for-5). Overall on the 2013-14 campaign, Robert Morris ranks fifth in the NEC in free-throw percentage at 71.2 percent (282-for-396).
 
Worth Consideration - Jeremiah Worthem brings versatility to the table for the Colonials, as the freshman forward has the ability to attack the rim as well as step out and hit the outside shot. In a 77-69 victory @ Mount St.  Mary's (1/18/14), Worthem hit a three-pointer that tied the game, 52-52, and ignited a 16-5 run that helped the Colonials earn the win. Worthem enters Thursday's game having hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last seven games, converting 58.3 percent (7-for-12) of his attempts from beyond the arc in that span. Overall, Worthem is shooting 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from deep on the 2013-14 campaign.
 
Wouldn't It Be Grand - Senior guard Karvel Anderson is scoring at a pace not seen at Robert Morris in a long time, and the transfer from Glen Oaks Community College has an outside shot of joining the RMU 1,000-point club this season. In 52 career games with the Colonials, Anderson has scored 777 points, an average of 14.9 points per contest. At his current scoring average (19.2 ppg), Anderson is on pace to conclude the 2013-14 regular season with 1,007 career points. He would be just the third player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points while playing just two seasons at Robert Morris. The only other Division I player to turn the trick at RMU was former guard Gene Nabors (1995-2000), who scored 1,029 points with the Colonials from 1998 to 2000 after transferring from Louisiana State University (LSU). The first player to accomplish the feat was junior college guard Don Mackey, who scored 1,034 points from 1963 to 1965.
 
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 77-69 victory @ Mount St. Mary's (1/18/14), RMU improved to 114-23 (.832) 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 63-16 (.797) when turning the trick.

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