Men's Basketball 12/27/2014 11:43:00 PM

Non-Conference Slate Concludes in Palmetto State

GAME 12
Robert Morris (4-7) @ Clemson (7-4)
Tuesday, December 30, 2014 • 7:00 p.m.
Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000) • Clemson, S.C.

Radio: 1550 WZUM AM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Duzyk (color)
Video: ESPN3.com
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: @RMUMBasketball

Quick Hits

- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of its 2014-15 schedule Tuesday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.

- The Colonials notched their second consecutive home victory in their last contest, building a 16-point lead in the second half en route to an 84-81 win over Delaware (12/22/14) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Freshman guard Marcquise Reed led four players in double figures for RMU with 20 points.

- Junior guard Rodney Pryor contributed 19 points in the victory over the Blue Hens, while senior forward Lucky Jones added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Also scoring in double figures for Robert Morris was senior guard David Appolon, who returned to the starting lineup and scored 12 points while adding five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

- RMU established a season high in field goal percentage in its victory over Delaware (12/22/14), shooting 55.6 percent (25-for-45) from the field. Thanks to the win, the Colonials improved to 25-4 (.862) in five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when converting at least 50 percent of their field goals.

- Over the last four games, the duo of freshman guard Marcquise Reed and junior guard Rodney Pryor have combined to average 31.0 points per contest while shooting 59.2 percent (45-for-76) from the field. Reed has averaged 16.5 points per game over that span and has shot 57.1 percent (24-for-42) from the floor, while Pryor is supplying an average of 14.5 points per contest and is 21-for-34 (61.8%) from the field, including 8-for-15 (53.3%) from beyond the arc.

- Led by fifth-year head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials return three starters and six letterwinners from a 2013-14 squad that finished with an overall record of 22-14 (.611), RMU's ninth straight winning season.

- The Colonials were picked third in the 2014 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the ninth consecutive year RMU has been selected to finish in the top three in the league. Senior forward Lucky Jones, named to the 2014 Preseason All-NEC Team, is RMU's active leading scorer and rebounder with career totals of 1,315 points and 714 rebounds.

- From 2007-08 through the 2013-14 campaign, Robert Morris compiled an overall record of 163-81 (.668), with the 163 victories tied for seventh with Akron among mid-major programs in the seven-year span.

- Robert Morris returns to the Charles L. Sewall Center to open Northeast Conference action after taking on the Tigers Tuesday. The Colonials will host Mount St. Mary's Saturday, Jan. 3, in a 7:00 p.m. tip before opening a three-game road trip Monday, Jan. 5, in Loretto, Pa., against Saint Francis U. at DeGol Arena.

Combos - Looking for RMU's best combination as the Colonials get ready to enter Northeast Conference play later this week, head coach Andrew Toole hasn't been afraid to shuffle his lineup. Toole employed his fifth different starting lineup in the last seven games in an 84-81 win over Delaware (12/22/14), as senior guard David Appolon returned to the starting five in place of sophomore guard Kavon Stewart, who missed the game due to a violation of team rules. Appolon responded by supplying 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the victory. Toole has used six different starting lineups through 11 games so far this season and in five years at the helm of the program has used a total of 39 different starting combinations.

Freedom - Converting at the free-throw line was a big reason Robert Morris was able to garner an 84-81 victory over Delaware (12/22/14). Late in the second half, the Colonials converted 16 consecutive free throws, tying an RMU record at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Robert Morris also knocked down 16 straight free throws in a 94-67 victory over Wagner (12/10/98). The overall record for consecutive converted attempts at the stripe at "The Chuck" is held by LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds hit 19 consecutive free throws in an 80-77 win over the Colonials March 2, 1993, in the first round of the 1993 NEC Tournament.

Shootout - Robert Morris snapped a 13-game losing streak when allowing at least 80 points in its 84-81 victory over Delaware (12/22/14) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Overall in five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials own a record of 22-3 (.880) when scoring 80 or more points. However, RMU is just 3-27 (.100) when allowing its opponents to eclipse the 80-point plateau. Each of the three victories for Robert Morris when allowing at least 80 points have come in the last two seasons.

Wins & Losses - Breaking down the numbers for Robert Morris in its four wins and its seven losses ... Junior guard Rodney Pryor is averaging 23.0 points in RMU's four victories while shooting 83.8 percent (31-for-37) from the floor, including 88.9 percent (16-for-18) from beyond the arc, and 82.4 percent (14-for-17) at the free-throw line ... Sophomore guard Kavon Stewart owns 21 assists (7.0 per game) and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.00 (21-to-7) in the three RMU victories he has played in compared to 21 assists (3.0 per game) and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.17 (21-to-18) in RMU's seven losses ... The Colonials own a rebounding margin of +6.8 (39.8 to 33.0) in their four victories but have been outrebounded by an average of 11.3 rebounds (41.6 to 30.3) in their seven setbacks.

Hot Rod - Junior guard Rodney Pryor returned to the starting lineup in a 75-59 victory over Duquesne (12/13/14) and led the Colonials to victory with a game-high 25 points, converting nine of his 12 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc, and going 3-for-4 at the free-throw line. For his efforts, Pryor earned his second Northeast Conference Player of the Week (12/15/14) accolade of the 2014-15 campaign. Pryor, who leads RMU in scoring at 14.5 points per game, ranks in the top five in the Northeast Conference in five different categories entering Tuesday's game @ Clemson. He leads the circuit in three-point field goal percentage (.491) while ranking third in three-point field goals made per game (2.45), fourth in both field goal (.534) and free-throw (.839) percentages and fifth in scoring.

Drop The Leash - Marcquise Reed has quietly settled in as a starter for Robert Morris, as the freshman guard enters Tuesday's game @ Clemson averaging 13.8 points and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 52.5 percent (31-for-59) from the field over the last six games, all as a member of the starting lineup. Reed enters the tilt against the Tigers ranked 11th in the Northeast Conference in scoring at 12.5 points per game while ranking second in the circuit in steals with an average of 1.82 thefts per contest.

Steal City - Robert Morris finished the 2013-14 campaign tops in the Northeast Conference in steals, averaging 7.08 per game. It marked the fifth time in the last seven years that the Colonials have paced the league in steals. RMU is right back at it again this season, as the Colonials enter Tuesday's game @ Clemson tops in the NEC in steals per game (9.18). In an 84-81 victory over Delaware (12/22/14), Robert Morris registered 11 steals, including three from junior forward Aaron Tate.

On The Offensive - A key reason Robert Morris earned its second consecutive home victory thanks to an 84-81 win over Delaware (12/22/14) is that the Colonials shot a season high 55.6 percent (25-for-45) from the field. In five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, RMU owns a mark of 25-4 (.862) when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including a perfect mark of 18-0 against NEC opponents. Broken down against league foes, Robert Morris is 16-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in the NEC Tournament when converting at least half of its shots. Against non-conference opponents under Toole, RMU is 7-4 (.636) when turning the trick, including 1-1 (.500) in 2014-15.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Lucky Jones: G/F; 6' 6"; Senior; Sr.

#4 David Appolon: G; 6' 4"; Senior; Sr.

#3 Kavon Stewart: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore; So.

#24 Aaron Tate: F; 6' 5"; Junior; Jr.

#2 Marcquise Reed: G; 6' 3"; Freshman; Fr.

#11 Rodney Pryor: G; 6' 5"; Junior; Jr.

Players Mentioned

#22 Lucky Jones
: 6' 6"; Senior; Sr.
: G/F

#4 David Appolon
: 6' 4"; Senior; Sr.
: G

#3 Kavon Stewart
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; So.
: G

#24 Aaron Tate
: 6' 5"; Junior; Jr.
: F

#2 Marcquise Reed
: 6' 3"; Freshman; Fr.
: G

#11 Rodney Pryor
: 6' 5"; Junior; Jr.
: G