Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #27
Mount St. Mary's (10-13, 6-4 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (15-11, 10-1 NEC)
Saturday, Feb. 15, 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 opens a three-game homestand Saturday when it welcomes Mount St. Mary's for a 4:00 p.m. tip at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials are coming off a 66-60 victory @ Saint Francis U. (2/13/14), which capped a perfect 3-0 road trip for RMU. Senior guard Karvel Anderson led Robert Morris in its win over the Red Flash with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field, including 2-for-4 from deep, and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, two assists and a career-high four steals. Junior forward Lucky Jones also reached double figures for the Colonials against SFU, scoring 12 points while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. At halftime of Saturday's game against the Mount, Robert Morris will honor the 1981-82 Colonials, the first team in program history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, by enshrining the squad into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame. RMU will continue its three-game homestand after taking on the Mount Saturday by hosting LIU Brooklyn Thursday, Feb. 20, in a 7:00 p.m. tip.  


 
Quick Stat of the Night - In search of a reason Robert Morris concluded its three-game road swing with a perfect 3-0 record? Look no further than defense. In their three victories, the Colonials yielded just 55.3 points per game while holding opponents to a shooting percentage of 37.7 percent (63-for-167), including 26.2 percent (16-for-61) from beyond the arc. Each of RMU's top three performances this season in regard to scoring defense occurred in the last three games, as the Colonials allowed just 50 points @ St. Francis Brooklyn (2/8/14), 56 @ LIU Brooklyn (2/6/14) and 60 @ Saint Francis U. (2/13/14). In addition, RMU's top two marks this season in field goal percentage defense happened during the road trip, including a season low 32.3 percent (20-for-62) @ LIU Brooklyn (2/6/14). Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against the Mount leading the NEC against league foes in scoring defense, allowing 65.9 points per game.
 
Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Mount St. Mary's and Robert Morris tip for the 56th time Saturday, with the Colonials owning a 29-26 (.527) edge in the all-time series. RMU earned a 77-69 victory over the Mount in the first meeting between the two programs earlier this season in Emmitsburg, Md., at Knott Arena (1/18/14). Freshman forward Jeremiah Worthem keyed a 16-5 run that allowed the Colonials to open up a 65-57 advantage with 4:57 to play by scoring seven points and finished with a career-high 21 points in the victory. RMU sealed the win by converting 12 of its 14 attempts at the free-throw line in the final 3:50 of action. Junior forward Lucky Jones recorded a double-double in the win with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while senior guard Karvel Anderson chipped in 12 points.  
 
Moving On Up - RMU's 66-60 victory @ Saint Francis U. (2/13/14) helped head coach Andrew Toole move into second place all-time in program history for career victories. Toole enters Saturday's game against Mount St. Mary's with a career record of 83-47 (.638). He moved into second place all-time at Robert Morris by passing former head coach Mark Schmidt (2001-07), who in six seasons posted a record of 82-90 (.477). RMU's all-time leader in career victories for a head coach is held by Jarrett Durham, who posted 157 wins in 12 seasons guiding the Colonials from 1984 to 1996.
 
Shooter - Senior guard Karvel Anderson enters Saturday's game against the Mount 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 (3.35), is on pace to conclude the 2013-14 regular season with 104 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 59 career contests, Anderson has drilled 169 three-pointers, an average of 2.86 per game that would establish a new career record. He enters Saturday's game ranked fifth in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal percentage (48.1%) and 10th in the three-point field goals made per game.
 
Dynamic Duo - While senior guard Karvel Anderson has been RMU's leading scorer so far this season thanks in large part to his ability to convert from beyond the arc, junior forward Lucky Jones has developed into a solid outside shooter, as well. Jones enters Saturday's game against Mount St. Mary's ranked fifth in the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.402) and ninth in three-point field goals made per game (1.96). Through the first 26 games of the 2013-14 campaign, the duo of Anderson and Jones has combined for 138 three-pointers, an average of 5.31 per game. The pair are on pace to finish the regular season with 165 triples, which would establish a new single-season school record for three-pointers by a Robert Morris tandem.
 
Hawkeye - Stephan Hawkins has stepped up his game in recent weeks, as the sophomore forward is playing arguably his best stretch of basketball in a Robert Morris uniform. Over the last seven games, Hawkins is averaging 8.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent (27-for-50) from the field and 81.3 percent (13-for-16) from the free-throw line. Three times during that span Hawkins has scored in double figures, including a career-high tying 12 points in a 91-65 win over Sacred Heart (1/23/14). Against league foes this year, Hawkins is shooting 48.4 percent (30-for-62). 
 
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 59 career games with the Colonials, Anderson has scored 912 points, an average of 15.5 points per contest. At his current scoring average (19.2 ppg), Anderson is on pace to conclude the 2013-14 regular season with 1,008 career points. Anderson could 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.

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