By Paul Meyer
www.rmucolonials.com
Feb. 12, 2011 

Meyer on Morris Link

Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University Colonials fared well during Rivalry Week.

Because they did, they're in position to have a good time during Asterisk Week, too.

You won't find Asterisk Week listed under the Northeast Conference's list of official promotions, but it's the most important unofficial happening of the season.

It's the time when NEC teams begin getting asterisks next to their names in the league standings, denoting they've qualified for the NEC Tournament.

While all 12 teams participated in Rivalry Week, only eight teams will enjoy Asterisk Week.

The top eight teams qualify for the NEC Tournament, which produces the league's entrant in the NCAA Tournament.

Bryant, one of the neat stories in the league this season, isn't yet eligible for the NEC Tournament, so the Bulldogs won't get an asterisk.

NEC-leading Long Island (12-2) and second-place Central Connecticut State (10-4) rushed things a bit and received their asterisks last weekend.

And Quinnipiac's 55-48 victory over Sacred Heart Monday evening earned the Bobcats (9-5) and Wagner (9-5) their asterisks.

That leaves seven teams vying for the four remaining asterisks.

The Colonials can earn their asterisk with a win at Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday evening - and in the process officially end the Knights' asterisk pursuit.

At 2-12 and losers of nine consecutive games, the Knights are all but ready to begin the offseason.

The Colonials, on the other hand, are 8-6 after sweeping their two Rivalry Week games with neighboring Saint Francis (Pa.).

In the process, they might have produced their rallying cry for the rest of the regular season and beyond.

"Offense by committee and defend like crazy,'' coach Andrew Toole said after his team won at Saint Francis (Pa.), 78-73, Saturday.

In a game that leading scorer Karon Abraham made little offensive impact because of foul trouble, the Colonials still were able to muster enough points to win for the third time in four games.

"These are the team efforts we need to have if we're going to continue to win games to finish the regular season and have any chance to do anything in the Northeast Conference Tournament,'' Toole said.

Abraham, who had 20 points in the game against the Red Flash at the Charles L. Sewall Center Feb. 9, scored just six points in Loretto. He didn't play much in the first half after getting two quick fouls and wound up playing an uncharacteristically low 23 minutes.

No problem.

Velton Jones scored 15 points. Russell Johnson made a welcome contribution of 13 points. Lijah Thompson continued his sophomore improvement with 10 points.

Lawrence Bridges extended his recent surge with nine points while playing only 11 minutes. Gary Wallace had nine points. Anthony Myers, Coron Williams and Yann Charles produced a total of 16 points off the bench to help RMU score the same number of points it did in its 78-68 win against the Red Flash at the Sewall Center, Feb. 9.

"It was everybody,'' Toole said, adding a thought toward the rest of the season. "Everyone has to be on high alert all the time. We'll be trying to build on this and be ready at Fairleigh Dickinson.''

Perhaps the most encouraging performance Saturday was Johnson's.

The sophomore forward averaged just 7.9 points per game in the previous 10 games while he struggled with his shot, shooting just 30.9 percent from the field. However, in Loretto, he was 3-for-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He made his final trey with 1:18 left to give the Colonials a 74-65 lead.

"Hopefully that will be the Russell we get for the rest of the season,'' Toole said. "That's the Russell we need. We all know how talented he is. We need him firing on all cylinders in the NEC.''

Jones scored in double figures for the ninth time in 10 games, a stretch in which he's averaged 14.9 points per game. He also contributed six assists and four steals and …

"Velton made a number of winning plays,'' Toole said. "He was excellent for us.''

Thompson scored in double figures for the third time in four games and 10th time this season. In that four-game stretch, he's averaged 13.0 points per game, lifting his season average to 7.8 points per game. Not bad for a guy who averaged only 1.8 points per game as a freshman.

"He's come by leaps and bounds this season,'' Toole said.

Bridges, a junior college transfer, seems to be finding his niche, which should bode well for next season.

He's scored 43 points over the past five games, in which he's 19-for-26 from the field.

"I've been pushing myself a lot harder,'' Bridges said.

"I'm very proud of his development,'' Toole said. "I'd love to play Lawrence for more minutes, but he can't sustain his effort. He gets tired.''

Then there's Myers, the lightning-quick freshman who in addition to his six points had four more assists. One of those assists led to a three-point play by Bridges that gave the Colonials a 67-54 lead with 5:37 left in Loretto.

Myers has 99 assists, putting him within seven of matching Samba Johnson's program record for most assists by a freshman in a season. Johnson had 106 in 1992-93.

Interesting to note that former Colonial standout Derek Coleman, Myers' cousin, had 49 assists as a freshman (2003-04) en route to finishing fifth on RMU's all-time assist list with 440.

"He has a great ability to get into the lane,'' Toole said of Myers. "He has a great ability to penetrate, and he's difficult for defenses when he gets into the lane because he can finish and he can pass. A lot of times he makes the right decisions. He's at his best when he's aggressive.''

Myers helped the Colonials to a second straight sweep of the Red Flash during Rivalry Week.

Toole's take on Rivalry Week?

"I still don't like the way it's set up,'' he said. "You're too familiar with your opponent. It's like (the second game) is a continuation of the other game instead of a new game.''

For their part, the Red Flash losing both games left them 5-9 in the NEC. However, Saint Francis (Pa.) still has a chance to earn its asterisk this week with games at Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson.

"Another (loss) that stings,'' coach Don Friday said. "We executed better (Saturday) than we did (in the first game) against Robert Morris, but they made a few tougher plays than we did. Bottom line is that we have four-game playoff now to try to get into the NEC Tournament.''

Robert Morris, the NEC champion the previous two seasons, has won seven straight games against Saint Francis (Pa.) and 12 of the past 13 against the Red Flash.

"You have to understand what we were dealing with here,'' Friday said. "We're dealing with a championship group. They have a big chunk of their team back (from last season). The common denominator? Toughness.''

NEXT UP: Fairleigh Dickinson, 4-21 overall, was swept in its two games against New Jersey neighbor Monmouth during Rivalry Week. Saturday, host FDU trailed 59-43 with 2:29 left before making a little run that made the final score 62-51. Monmouth (4-10, 8-18) also won the first game in the series by 11 points (68-57). In the second game, the teams combined to make just 12-of-24 free throws. FDU was 4-of-9 from the stripe.

NO BITE BUT A BIG BARK: Bryant, which isn't eligible to qualify for the NEC Tournament until the 2012-13 season, continues to build a foundation for possible NEC Tournament success. The Bulldogs have won seven of their past 11 NEC games to raise their league record to 7-7 and their overall mark to 9-17.

Quite an improvement from their records of 1-17 and 1-29 last season.

Bryant, which lost at Central Connecticut, 71-55, Feb. 9, overcame losing a seven-point lead with 64 seconds remaining in regulation to beat the visiting Blue Devils, 85-80, in overtime Saturday.

CCSU tied the game with two seconds left in regulation on a trey by Shemik Thompson and led, 80-76, with two minutes left in the overtime. However, a three by Frankie Dobbs and a basket by Cecil Gresham put Bryant up, 81-80, with 58 seconds remaining. Three free throws by Dobbs and another by Gresham accounted for the final score.

Dobbs, who played 44 minutes, had 19 points and six assists. Gresham finished with 27 points and seven assists. CCSU's Ken Horton, seemingly a lock to be voted NEC Player of the Year, had 27 points and 16 rebounds in his 43 minutes.

NEC NUGGETS: Long Island, which has won six straight games, raised its overall record to 20-5 with an 82-80 win at St. Francis (N.Y.). C.J. Garner's basket at the buzzer won it … Long Island committed just six turnovers … St. Francis (N.Y.) was 9-of-30 from international waters … Standout Terrier guard Ricky Cadell in the two Rivalry Week games against LIU was a combined 7-of-31 from the field, including 1-of-13 from deep, and scored 16 points … Wagner and Mount St. Mary's wound up with a split in their Rivalry Week series after the host Seahawks won Saturday, 70-65, after losing at the Mount, 71-57, Feb. 9 … In Monday night's game, host Sacred Heart tied the score at 48 on a trey by Louis Montes, but two threes by James Johnson put Quinnipiac back in control … The teams combined to make only 16-of-62 field goal attempts in a first half that ended with Quinnipiac ahead, 21-19 … Sacred Heart had 24 turnovers … Quinnipiac was just 6-of-17 from the free throw line, "led'' by Justin Rutty's 1-for-8. The Bobcats are last in the NEC with a 59.2 percentage from the stripe in league play.