Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #35
Robert Morris (21-13) @ St. John's (20-12)
2014 National Invitation Tournament
Tuesday, March 18, 2014 • 7:00 p.m.
Carnesecca Arena (5,602) • New York, N.Y.
 
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play) & Tim Welsh (color)
Radio: 970 ESPN AM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Elias (color)
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Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team makes its sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years Tuesday when it travels to New York, N.Y., for a 7:00 p.m. tip against St. John's at Carnesecca Arena as part of the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Colonials, who claimed the 2014 Northeast Conference regular-season championship, appear in the NIT for the second consecutive year after dropping an 88-71 decision to No. 4 seed Mount St. Mary's (3/11/14) in the 2014 NEC Tournament championship game. Senior guard Karvel Anderson scored a game-high 21 points against the Mount and enters the 2014 NIT having eclipsed the 20-point plateau in seven of his last nine games. Also scoring in double figures for the Colonials against the Mount were junior forward Lucky Jones (11) and junior guards Charles Oliver (11) and David Appolon (10). Robert Morris is 1-2 (.333) all-time in the NIT, with its lone victory a 59-57 win over No. 1 seed Kentucky (3/19/13) at the Charles L. Sewall Center in the first round of the 2013 NIT in front of a crowd of 3,444, the largest crowd in school history.

     
Quick Stat of the Night - Junior forward Lucky Jones earned a spot on the 2014 All-Northeast Conference Tournament Team after averaging 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in three games while shooting 48.7 percent (19-for-39) from the field. Jones, who is RMU's active leader in both points (1,150) and rebounds (644), has reached double figures in scoring 24 times in 2013-14 and 60 occasions in his three years at Robert Morris. Jones is tied for 12th all-time in career double-figure scoring games with former guard Andre Boyd (1987-91), and a key reason Jones has been able to reach such lofty numbers is his ability to convert at the free-throw line. Jones enters the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ranked seventh in the NEC in free-throw percentage (.803) and already has cracked the top five all-time at RMU for career free throws made. Jones ranks fourth with 329 and is a 79.9 percent (329-for-412) career shooter at the stripe.    
 
Tuesday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - RMU and St. John's meet for the first time on the hardwood Tuesday in the first round of the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Red Storm are one of three opponents on RMU's 2013-14 slate the Colonials are playing for the first time this season. Robert Morris earned an 88-81 victory over UT Arlington (11/21/13) at the Charles L. Sewall Center as part of the Keightley Classic in its first meeting against the Mavericks, while the Colonials dropped a 64-56 decision @ Alabama (1/4/14) in their first meeting in school history with the Crimson Tide.  
 
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 and enters the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) with 1,150 career points. 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 finish the season with 1,164 points and 651 rebounds, totals that would rank 16th and sixth, respectively, in the career record book.
 
Mission Accomplished - Many have tried over the years, and many have failed. Yet senior guard Karvel Anderson was the one that came through and established a new RMU single-season school record in a category that had stood for almost a quarter of a century. Thanks to a trio of three-pointers in a 71-70 overtime victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (2/22/14), Anderson set a new single-season record for triples and on the year owns 106. That total surpassed the old single-season school record of 93 that was established by former guard Scott Shepherd (1988-91) during the 1988-89 campaign. In 67 career contests, Anderson has drilled 188 three-pointers, an average of 2.81 per game that would also establish a new career record.
 
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 the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ranked ninth in the NEC three-point field goals made per game (1.79). The duo of Anderson and Jones has combined for 167 three-pointers, an average of 4.91 per game, which has established a new single-season school record for three-pointers by a Robert Morris tandem. The old record of 156 was established in 2012-13 by Anderson and former guard Coron Williams (2009-13). Anderson hit 82 triples last season, while Williams connected for 74.
 
Double Nickel On A Dime - Senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate recorded one assist in a 60-57 win over Saint Francis U. (3/8/14) in the 2014 NEC Tournament semifinals, helping him move into seventh place all-time at Robert Morris for career dimes. Myers-Pate enters the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) with 438 career assists and so far this season owns 123 assists against 56 turnovers. He ranks fifth in the NEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.20) while ranking eighth in the circuit in assists per game (3.62).
 
International Waters - Robert Morris produced a record-breaking season in shooting from beyond the arc in 2012-13, and the Colonials have picked up right where they left off from a season ago. Through 34 games this season, RMU has converted 246 of its 642 attempts (38.3%) from beyond the arc. Robert Morris enters the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) leading the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage while ranking fourth in the NEC in three-point field goals made per game (7.24). The Colonials are 29-5 (.853) in four seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when converting at least 10 three-pointers in a game, including 6-2 (.750) in 2013-14.
 
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 60-57 win over Saint Francis U. (3/8/14) in the semifinals of the 2014 Northeast Conference Tournament, RMU improved to 123-24 (.837) 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 72-17 (.809) when turning the trick.
 
There's An App For That - No member of Robert Morris has benefitted more from its eight-man rotation in 2013-14 than junior guard David Appolon, who is playing arguably his best basketball in an RMU uniform in recent weeks. Entering the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Appolon has averaged 8.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals over his last eight games while shooting 56.5 percent (26-for-46) from the field. Included in that stretch, Appolon has established career highs in both points (13) and rebounds (9) in a 73-64 win over LIU Brooklyn (2/20/14). Since earning a spot in the starting lineup in a 91-65 win over Sacred Heart (1/23/14), Appolon has averaged 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds over his last 15 games while shooting 48.7 percent (38-for-78) from the field, a stretch in which RMU owns a record of 12-3 (.800).
 
Tag Team - Senior guard Karvel Anderson and junior forward Lucky Jones, just the second tandem in school history to combine for at least 1,000 points in a season, established a new single-season school record for points by an RMU duo in a 60-53 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (3/5/14) in the quarterfinals of the 2014 NEC Tournament. Through 34 games of the 2013-14 campaign, Anderson and Jones have combined for 1,108 points, eclipsing the record of 1,028 points that former Colonials Myron Walker (1990-94) and Ricky Cannon (1988-92) combined for during the 1991-92 season. Anderson enters the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) with a single-season school record 649 points, while Jones has 459 for RMU. 
 
Consistency - If there is one thing that 2014 Northeast Conference Player of the Year Karvel Anderson has been over the course of the 2013-14 campaign, it's been consistent.  Thanks to a game-high 21 points in against Mount St. Mary's (3/11/14) in the championship game of the 2014 NEC Tournament, Anderson recorded his 17th game of the year eclipsing the 20-point plateau, extending his own RMU single-season school record. The old mark of 15 was held by former Colonials Myron Walker (1990-94),  Gene Nabors (1995-2000) and Maurice Carter (2001-05). Walker turned the trick twice, first as a sophomore in 1991-92 in leading RMU to the NEC Tournament championship and again as a senior in 1993-94. Nabors reached the 20-point plateau in 15 games as a senior in 1999-2000, while Carter finished with at least 20 points in 15 contests during his sophomore season in 2002-03.
 
Comeback Kids - Robert Morris has proven throughout the 2013-14 campaign that no lead is safe for an opponent. RMU enters the 2014 National Invitation Tournament having climbed out of a double-digit deficit in four of its last seven games. In a 60-57 victory over Saint Francis U. (3/8/14) in the semifinals of the 2014 NEC Tournament, the Colonials erased a 10-point deficit in the first half, 16-6, to earn the win. RMU also erased a 15-point deficit in the second half of a 69-64 win @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/27/14) and fell behind by 16 points against LIU Brooklyn (2/20/14) before charging back to grab a 73-64 win. In a 71-70 overtime victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (2/22/14), Robert Morris eclipsed a 12-point deficit in the second half to post a win. The win over the Red Flash marked the 15th time RMU has climbed out of a double-digit deficit to earn a victory in four seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, including the sixth occasion in 2013-14. 
 
Grand Concourse - Senior guard Karvel Anderson became the 23rd member of the Robert Morris 1,000-point club in RMU's 2013-14 regular-season finale @ Wagner (3/1/14), as his three-pointer at the 18:07 mark of the first half helped him join the fraternity. In 67 career games with the Colonials, Anderson has scored 1,062 points, an average of 15.9 points per contest. Anderson is 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.
 
Rise Up - Senior guard Karvel Anderson continues to the move up the rankings in a number of different top 10 lists in single-season history at Robert Morris this year, and in a 60-57 win over Saint Francis U. (3/8/14) in the semifinals of the 2014 NEC Tournament he established a new single-season record for points scored. Anderson, who finished with 21 points against Mount St. Mary's (3/11/14), enters the 2014 NIT with 649 points this season. That total eclipsed the old single-season mark of 614 points that former guard Myron Walker (1990-04) scored as a sophomore in 1991-92.

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