Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #25
Robert Morris (13-11, 8-1 NEC) @ St. Francis Brooklyn (15-9, 6-3 NEC)
Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 • 2:00 p.m.
Pope P.E. Center (1,200) • Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
 
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 continues a three-game road trip Saturday with the last of two games in Brooklyn, N.Y., when it takes on St. Francis Brooklyn in a 2:00 p.m. tip at the Pope P.E. Center. The Colonials opened their road swing with a 65-56 victory @ LIU Brooklyn (2/6/14) as senior guard Karvel Anderson scored all of his game-high 16 points in the second half to help lift RMU to the win. Held scoreless in the first half and having played just seven minutes after being saddled with two fouls, Anderson shot 6-for-11 from the field after the break, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Also scoring in double figures for Robert Morris against the Blackbirds was sophomore forward Stephan Hawkins, who finished with 10 points and added four rebounds. Junior forward Lucky Jones added nine points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks in the win, while sophomore forward Aaron Tate grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with five points. RMU closes out its three-game road trip after taking on the Terriers Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against in-state rival Saint Francis U. at DeGol Arena in Loretto, Pa., Thursday, Feb. 13.


 
Quick Stat of the Night - Senior guard Karvel Anderson will go down in school history as arguably the program's most lethal three-point threat. He enters Saturday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn leading RMU in three-pointers with 82, which already matches his season total from last year. Anderson, who leads the NEC and ranks 10th in NCAA Division I in three-point field goals made per game (3.42), is the first player in school history to hit at least 80 three-pointers in a season twice. Anderson's total this season is tied for sixth in the single-season record book, and he needs 12 three-pointers to establish a new single-season school record. In the Robert Morris career record book, Anderson ranks eighth all-time in school history with 164 triples and is on pace to finish the 2013-14 regular season with 188 three-pointers.
 
Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Robert Morris and St. Francis Brooklyn meet for the 66th time Saturday, with the Colonials holding a 39-26 (.600) edge in the all-time series. In the only meeting between the two programs in the regular season in 2012-13, the Terriers earned a 71-61 victory over the Colonials at the Pope P.E. Center (1/31/13). Guards Anthony Myers-Pate and Karvel Anderson came off the bench to lead the Colonials in that contest with 14 points each, combining to hit 11 of their 21 shots from the floor, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. RMU would later host St. Francis Brooklyn in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Northeast Conference Tournament, with the Colonials earning a 75-57 victory at the Charles L. Sewall Center (3/6/13). In that win Anderson scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. 
 
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 65-56 win @ LIU Brooklyn (2/6/14), RMU improved to 116-23 (.835) 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 65-16 (.802) when turning the trick.
 
There's An App For That - Junior guard David Appolon has earned the first five starting assignments of his career over RMU's last five games, and as he's seen his time on the court expand, so has his numbers. Appolon enters Saturday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn having averaged 5.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his last five games and, more importantly, is giving the Colonials another option at point guard. In the last five games, Appolon has dished out 12 assists against no turnovers and overall on the 2013-14 campaign owns 24 assists against 14 miscues.
 
Board Stiff - RMU has done a fantastic job rebounding the basketball since entering Northeast Conference play, as the Colonials enter Saturday's game @ St. Francis Brooklyn leading the circuit against league foes in rebounding defense (32.3 per game). Aaron Tate has been a big key to that, as the sophomore forward is averaging 6.0 rebounds against league foes, which is tied for ninth in the NEC. Over the last six games, Tate is averaging 5.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. In a 65-56 win @ LIU Brooklyn (2/6/14), Tate established a career high with 11 rebounds.

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