GAME #26
Robert Morris (17-8, 8-4) @ Saint Francis (Pa.) (5-18, 4-8)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 • 7:00 p.m.
DeGol Arena (3,500) • Loretto, Pa.
Radio: WPIT-AM (730)
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Elias (color)
Audio available at www.rmucolonials.com
Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes a three-game road trip Wednesday, Feb. 8, by traveling east on Route 22 for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Saint Francis (Pa.) at DeGol Arena as part of "Rivalry Week" in the Northeast Conference. The Colonials are coming off a 67-62 victory @ Mount St. Mary's (2/4/12), which snapped a two-game slide and improved RMU to 1-1 (.500) during its current road swing. Freshman forward Lucky Jones led Robert Morris against the Mount with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, converting seven of his nine shots from the field and going a perfect 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Anthony Myers added 15 points and four assists off the bench for the Colonials in the win over Mount St. Mary's, while redshirt junior guard Velton Jones contributed 10 points and four dimes. RMU returns home to the Charles L. Sewall Center to conclude the NEC's "Rivalry Week" by hosting the Red Flash in a 7:00 p.m. tip Saturday, Feb. 11.
Quick Stat of the Night - Robert Morris snapped a two-game slide by breaking out offensively in a 67-62 victory @ Mount St. Mary's (2/4/12). The Colonials converted 53.3 percent (24-for-45) of their attempts from the field in the win over the Mount, a season high in field goal percentage. RMU's previous high of 53.2 percent (25-for-47) came in a 70-67 victory @ Ohio (1/2/12) in its last non-conference game of 2011-12. The win @ the Mount marked the 24th straight victory for Robert Morris when shooting at least 50 percent from the field dating back to the 2008-09 season. RMU's last loss when shooting 50 percent or better came in a 92-72 setback @ Pittsburgh (2/2/09), when the Colonials converted 57.4 percent (27-for-47) of their shots. Robert Morris has also won 30 straight against NEC foes when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Wednesday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - The longest running rivalry in program history, Robert Morris and Saint Francis (Pa.) will meet for the 70th time Wednesday. The Colonials hold a 41-28 (.594) edge in the all-time series and have won seven straight and 12 of the last 13 meetings between the two programs. RMU owns a seven-game winning streak against the Red Flash at DeGol Arena heading into Wednesday's game, the longest winning streak in school history by the Colonials on an opponent's home court. Robert Morris posted a 78-73 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) (2/12/11) in last year's contest at DeGol Arena, with guard Velton Jones leading RMU with 15 points, six assists and four steals.
The Rivalry Renewed - Robert Morris takes on Saint Francis (Pa.) in a pair of games this week in the third installment of "Rivalry Week"in the Northeast Conference. The promotion features a home-and-home series between the Colonials and Red Flash, with RMU traveling to Loretto, Pa., Wednesday before the two programs meet Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. An inside look at "Rivalry Week" ... Robert Morris is a perfect 4-0 against Saint Francis (Pa.) during Rivalry Week ... In its four games, RMU is averaging 76.8 points per game while shooting 54.9 percent (101-for-184) from the field ... The Colonials have allowed the Red Flash to average 67.8 points while shooting 44.8 percent (90-for-201) from the floor ... In four career games against Saint Francis (Pa.), redshirt junior guard Velton Jones is averaging 13.3 points, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals per contest while shooting 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field, including 46.1 percent (6-for-13) from beyond the arc.
Ant Marching - Sophomore point guard Anthony Myers has certainly increased his production in recent weeks, providing the Colonials with inspired play off the bench. In RMU's last eight games, Myers is averaging 7.6 points per contest while shooting 54.3 percent (19-for-35) from the floor, including 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from long range, and 87.5 percent (14-for-16) at the charity stripe. Included in that span is a career-high 16 points in an 81-73 overtime victory @ Monmouth (1/21/12) and 15 points in a 67-62 win @ Mount St. Mary's (2/4/12). More importantly, Myers is in the midst of his best stretch of the 2011-12 campaign doing what he does best for his teammates: creating. In the last eight games, Myers owns 30 assists (3.75 per game) while suffering just 13 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.31.
Lucky Charms - One Colonial who has blossomed since being inserted into the starting lineup is freshman forward Lucky Jones. In his last seven games, each as a member of the starting five, Jones is averaging 9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest while shooting 52.2 percent (24-for-46) from the field. During that span, Jones has established career highs in both points (17) and rebounds (14), and he enters Wednesday's game @ Saint Francis (Pa.) averaging 10.3 points and 7.5 rebounds against Northeast Conference foes. Meanwhile, the Colonials own a record of 11-3 (.786) this season when Jones grabs at least six rebounds in a game.
