Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #24
Robert Morris (12-11, 7-1 NEC) @ LIU Brooklyn (7-14, 2-6 NEC)
Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 • 7:00 p.m.
Steinberg Wellness Center (2,000) • Brooklyn, N.Y.
 
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Kevin Conners (play-by-play) & Bob Valvano (color)
Radio: 970 ESPN AM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Duzyk (color)

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Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens a three-game road trip Thursday when it travels to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a 7:00 p.m. tip against LIU Brooklyn at the Steinberg Wellness Center. The Colonials are coming off a 74-73 setback to Central Connecticut State (2/1/14) at the Charles L. Sewall Center, which snapped a season-high seven-game winning streak. RMU held a 67-54 lead with 4:01 to play, but the Blue Devils closed the game on a 20-6 run to earn the win. Junior forward Lucky Jones led Robert Morris with his fourth double-double of the season thanks to 22 points and 10 rebounds and in the process joined the RMU 1,000-point club. His layup with 12:07 to go in the first half helped him become the 22nd member of the fraternity, and he is just the 13th player in program history to eclipse career totals of both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Senior guard Karvel Anderson added 18 points against CCSU, while sophomore forward Aaron Tate tied a career-high with eight points. The Colonials continue their road swing after taking on the Blackbirds Thursday with a 2:00 p.m. tip against St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Pope P.E. Center. 

   
 
Quick Stat of the Night - Sophomore forward Stephan Hawkins has settled in as a member of RMU's starting lineup and is coming off a four-game homestand in which he's put forth arguably his best stretch of basketball in a Robert Morris uniform. Hawkins enters Thursday's game @ LIU Brooklyn having averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in his last four games while shooting 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from the field and 85.7 percent (6-for-7) at the free-throw line. Included in that stretch, Hawkins tied a career high in points (12) in a 91-65 win over Sacred Heart (1/23/14), while seven of his 14 rebounds during the last four games have come on the offensive end. Over the last two years, RMU is 12-4 (.750) with Hawkins in the starting lineup.
 
Thursday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn square off for the 67th time Thursday, with the Colonials holding a 38-28 (.576) advantage in the all-time series. The two programs met just once last season, with RMU posting a 60-57 win at the Steinberg Wellness Center (2/2/13). In that contest former guard Velton Jones (2008-13) hit a floater in the lane with 9.8 seconds to play to help lift the Colonials to the win. The Blackbirds had one last chance to win the game, but Troy Joseph turned the ball over on LIU's next possession, and guard Karvel Anderson helped seal the win by connecting for a pair at the free-throw line. Anderson paced the Colonials in the victory with 13 points off the bench, while forward Lucky Jones added 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Exclusivity - Junior forward Lucky Jones joined the Robert Morris 1,000-point club in a 74-73 setback to Central Connecticut State (2/1/14), as his layup at the 12:07  mark of the first half helped him become the 22nd player in program history to join the fraternity. Jones finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Blue Devils, pushing his career point total to 1,015. Earlier this season, Jones also joined the RMU 500-rebound club when he finished with seven boards in RMU's final non-conference tilt of the 2013-14 campaign @ Alabama (1/4/14). Jones is one of just 13 players in school history to eclipse career totals of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and, based on his current averages, is slated to end the 2013-14 regular season with career totals of 1,128 points and 618 rebounds, totals that would rank 16th and seventh, respectively, in the career record book.
 
There's An App For That - Junior guard David Appolon is coming off a four-game homestand in which he earned the first four starting assignments of his career, and as he's seen his time on the court expand, so has his numbers. Appolon enters Thursday's game @ LIU Brooklyn having averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals in his last four games and, more importantly, is giving the Colonials another option at point guard. In the last four games, Appolon has dished out nine assists against no turnovers and overall on the 2013-14 campaign owns 21 assists against 14 miscues.
 
Board Stiff - RMU has done a fantastic job rebounding the basketball since entering Northeast Conference play, as the Colonials enter Thursday's game @ LIU Brooklyn leading the circuit against league foes in rebounding defense (31.5 per game). Aaron Tate has been a big key to that, as the sophomore forward is averaging 5.4 rebounds at the midway point of the league slate to rank tied for 17th in the NEC. Over the last five games, Tate is averaging 5.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.    
 
Breakout - Senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate made RMU's recently completed four-game homestand his coming out party offensively. Robert Morris went 3-1 (.750) during its four-game homestand, with Myers-Pate supplying the Colonials with averages of 12.3 points and 2.3 assists per contest while shooting 59.4 percent (19-for-32) from the field, including 60 percent (6-for-10) from beyond the arc. 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. Over the last four seasons, Robert Morris is 17-6 (.739) when Myers-Pate scores in double figures.

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