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Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #33
#6 Saint Francis U. (10-20) vs. #1 Robert Morris (20-12)
2014 Northeast Conference Tournament Semifinals
Saturday, March 7, 2014 • 2:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: MSG+ & FCS
TV Talent: John Schmeelk (play-by-play) & Joe DeSantis (color)
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 continues its quest for a league-record eighth Northeast Conference Tournament title Saturday by hosting No. 6 seed Saint Francis U. at the Charles L. Sewall Center in a 2:00 p.m. tip as part of semifinal action of the 2014 NEC Tournament. The Colonials, who have advanced to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament for seven consecutive seasons, earned a 60-53 win over No. 8 seed Fairleigh Dickinson (3/5/14) in the quarterfinals to open the NEC Tournament. Junior forward Lucky Jones paced RMU in the victory with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate contributed 10 points and four rebounds. Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against the Red Flash having held each of their last nine opponents to 70 points or less, yielding an average of 59.7 points per game on 40.1 percent (200-for-499) shooting from the floor, including 27.8 percent (54-for-194) from beyond the arc.   

   
 
Quick Stat of the Night - Looking up and down the lineup, there might not be a player from RMU playing better over the last month of the season than junior guard David Appolon. In a 60-53 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (3/5/14) in the quarterfinals of the 2014 NEC Tournament, Appolon supplied the Colonials with eight points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals, including a pair of fastbreak layups late in the contest to help Robert Morris keep the Knights at bay. Over his last seven games, Appolon is averaging 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent (21-for-41) from the field, the best shooting percentage by a member of the Colonials over that span. Since being inserted into the starting lineup in a 91-65 win over Sacred Heart (1/23/14), RMU owns a record of 11-2 (.846). 
 
Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - The longest running rivalry in program history, Saint Francis U. and Robert Morris meet on the hardwood for the 76th time Saturday, with the Colonials owning a 47-28 (.627) advantage in the all-time series. RMU enters Saturday's game having won 13 straight over the Red Flash after sweeping the 2013-14 season series. The Colonials earned a 73-68 win over SFU at the Charles L. Sewall Center (1/16/14) before posting a 66-60 victory in Loretto, Pa., at DeGol Arena (2/13/14). Senior guard Karvel Anderson averaged 26.0 points in the pair of victories, shooting 58.1 percent (18-for-31) from the field, including 50 percent (7-for-14) from beyond the arc, and 90 percent (9-for-10) at the stripe. Junior forward Lucky Jones also averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two victories.
 
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 32 games of the 2013-14 campaign, Anderson and Jones have combined for 1,037 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 NEC Tournament semifinals with 607 points, while Jones has supplied RMU with 430. 
 
Comeback Kids - Robert Morris seemed to have a flair for the dramatic in the waning days of the 2013-14 regular season. RMU enters the semifinals of the 2014 Northeast Conference Tournament having climbed out of a double-digit deficit in the second half in three of their last five games. In a 69-64 win @ Fairleigh Dickinson (2/27/14), the Colonials erased a 15-point deficit in the second half, 62-47, with 8:34 to play by outscoring the Knights, 22-2, the rest of the game. Robert Morris also climbed out of a 16-point deficit with 17:11 to play to grab a 73-64 win over LIU Brooklyn (2/20/14) and overcame a 12-point deficit, 43-31, with 17:53 remaining to earn a 71-70 overtime victory over St. Francis Brooklyn (2/22/14). The win over the Knights marked the 14th time Robert Morris has climbed out of a double-digit deficit to earn a victory in four seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, including the fifth 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 66 career games with the Colonials, Anderson has scored 1,020 points, an average of 15.5 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.
 
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 semifinals of the 2014 Northeast Conference ranked eighth in three-point field goals made per game (1.84). The duo of Anderson and Jones has combined for 162 three-pointers, an average of 5.06 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 last season by Anderson and former guard Coron Williams (2009-13). Anderson hit 82 triples in 2012-13, while Williams connected for 74.
 
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 60-53 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (3/5/14) in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Northeast Conference Tournament, RMU improved to 122-24 (.836) 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 71-17 (.807) when turning the trick.

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