Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #23
Central Connecticut State (5-15, 1-5 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (12-10, 7-0 NEC)
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014 • 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 concludes a four-game homestand looking for its eighth straight win Saturday when it hosts Central Connecticut State at the Charles L. Sewall Center in a 4:00 p.m. tip. The Colonials are coming off a 79-76 victory over Bryant (1/30/14), as Corey Maynard's three-pointer for the Bulldogs as time expired to try and send the game to overtime was off the mark. Senior guard Karvel Anderson led RMU in the victory with 24 points, the 10th time he's eclipsed the 20-point plateau in 2013-14 and 15th occasion in his career. Senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate added a career-high 21 points and five rebounds in the win, converting eight of his nine shots from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while hitting both of his attempts at the free-throw line. Junior guard David Appolon chipped in with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Bulldogs. Robert Morris returns to the road after hosting the Blue Devils Saturday, opening a three-game road swing in Brooklyn, N.Y., Thursday, Feb. 6, with a 7:00 p.m. tilt @ LIU Brooklyn in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU.

  
 
Quick Stat of the Night - The Colonials will look to match their longest winning streak under fourth-year head coach Andrew Toole Saturday when they close out a four-game homestand against Central Connecticut State, as RMU also won eight consecutive games in Toole's first season on the sidelines in 2010-11 en route to the 2011 NEC Tournament championship game. If there is a place Robert Morris could match that streak, it's at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the Colonials have posted a record of 101-24 (.808) at "The Chuck." Against Northeast Conference foes, RMU owns a mark 61-15 (.803). In four seasons under the guidance of Toole, Robert Morris has compiled an overall record of 42-9 (.824) at home, including a mark of 25-6 (.806) against league foes.
 
Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Central Connecticut State and Robert Morris tip for the 33rd time Saturday, with the Colonials owning an 18-14 (.563) edge in the all-time series. The two programs split the 2012-13 season series, with each team winning on the other's home court. The Blue Devils posted a 77-70 win over RMU at the Charles L. Sewall Center (1/5/13) before Robert Morris earned an 81-61 victory over the Blue Devils at Detrick Gymnasium (3/2/13) in the 2012-13 regular-season finale for both programs. In last year's game at the Sewall Center, guard Karvel Anderson scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. Anderson did not play in RMU's win in New Britain, Conn., but all five starters scored in double figures in the win, including a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) for forward Lucky Jones.  
 
Breakout - Senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate has made RMU's current four-game homestand his coming out party offensively. In a 79-76 victory over Bryant (1/30/14), Myers-Pate established a career high in points with 21, hitting eight of his nine shots from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. Myers-Pate enters Saturday's game against Central Connecticut State having averaged 14.7 points during RMU's homestand, converting 68 percent (17-for-25) of his shots from the field, including 83.3 percent (5-for-6) from beyond the arc, while also converting five of his six attempts (83.3%) at the charity stripe. Over the last four seasons, Robert Morris is 17-6 (.739) when Myers-Pate scores in double figures.
 
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 80.5 percent (124-for-154). In a 79-76 victory over Bryant (1/30/14), the Colonials shot  94.1 percent (16-for-17) from the chalk, establishing a season high. Overall on the 2013-14 campaign, Robert Morris ranks third in the NEC in free-throw percentage at 72.2 percent (343-for-475).
 
Joining The Club - Junior forward Lucky Jones joined the Robert Morris 500-rebound club in RMU's final non-conference tilt of the 2013-14 campaign @ Alabama (1/4/14), tying for game-high honors with seven boards to eclipse the mark. Jones, who owns 556 career caroms, became the 17th member of the fraternity and based on his current rebounding average of 6.4 per contest is on pace to finish the regular-season with 613 rebounds. That total would rank seventh all-time entering his final season of eligibility in 2014-15. Jones enters Saturday's game as RMU's active leading scorer with 993 points and, based on his current scoring average (13.7 ppg) and barring injury, will become the 13th player in school history to eclipse both 1,000 points and 500 boards. Jones is on pace to become the 22nd member of the RMU 1,000-point club Feb. 1, 2014, against Central Connecticut State.
 
Shooter - Senior guard Karvel Anderson enters Saturday's game against CCSU as RMU's leading scorer, producing an average of 19.3 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 (3.41), is on pace to conclude the 2013-14 regular season with 106 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. In 55 career contests, Anderson has drilled 157 three-pointers, an average of 2.85 per game that would establish a new career record. He enters Saturday's action ranked sixth in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal percentage (47.2%) and ninth in the three-point field goals made per game.
 
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 55 career games with the Colonials, Anderson has scored 837 points, an average of 15.2 points per contest. At his current scoring average (19.3 ppg), Anderson is on pace to conclude the 2013-14 regular season with 1,010 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.
 
Tweet #PackTheChuck