Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team closes out a two-game homestand to open Northeast Conference action Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Central Connecticut State at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials opened their 2012-13 NEC slate with an 84-77 setback to Bryant (1/3/13), their second straight loss and dropping RMU to 15-17 (.469) all-time in league lidlifters. Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones led four Colonials in double figures scoring against the Bulldogs with a season-high 24 points while also adding six assists and a career-high six steals. Sophomore forward Lucky Jones and junior guard Karvel Anderson each contributed 13 points, while junior forward Mike McFadden scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds. RMU returns to the road after hosting the Blue Devils Saturday, making its annual swing through New Jersey for a pair of league tilts. Robert Morris will visit Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday, Jan. 10, for a 7:00 p.m. tip before traveling to West Long Branch, N.J., Saturday, Jan. 12, for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Monmouth in a game that will be televised live on MSG.

Quick Stat of the Night - Most head coaches will point out that it's good to get off to a good start in games, and for Robert Morris, the truth is in the numbers. The Colonials enter Saturday's game against Central Connecticut State a perfect 7-0 so far this season when leading at halftime. When RMU is trailing at the break? The Colonials own a mark of 0-6. In the only game that it's been tied at intermission so far this season, 29-29, Robert Morris came out with a 71-60 win over Bowling Green (11/19/12). It's a trend that has been pretty consistent for RMU in three seasons under head coach Andrew Toole. Since the beginning of the 2010-11 campaign, the Colonials are 40-7 (.851) when leading at halftime. Brown down, Robert Morris is 37-6 (.860) when leading at halftime and 3-1 (.750) when tied at intermission.

Saturday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - Saturday's matchup marks the 31st meeting between RMU and Central Connecticut State, with the Colonials holding a 17-13 (.567) advantage in the all-time series. RMU has won seven of the last nine games against the Blue Devils and 10 of the last 13 meetings dating back to the 2004-05 campaign. Last season the two teams split the season series, with CCSU posting a 68-53 win over Robert Morris at Detrick Gymnasium (1/7/12) in New Britain, Conn., before the Colonials rebounded with a 68-60 victory at the Charles L. Sewall Center (2/18/12). In the victory at home forward Lijah Thompson came off the bench to score 15 points to pace RMU, while forward Russell Johnson added 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Home On The Range - Velton Jones enjoys playing his home games at the Charles L. Sewall Center, as the redshirt senior guard enters Saturday's game against Central Connecticut State as one of four players averaging in double figures at "The Chuck" so far this season. In five home games, Jones is averaging 17.8 points and 5.8 assists per contest while shooting 46 percent (23-for-50) from the field and 91.9 percent (34-for-37) at the free-throw line. Joining Jones in scoring in double figures in home games in 2012-13 is junior guard Karvel Anderson (11.6 ppg), junior forward Mike McFadden (10.8 ppg) and sophomore forward Lucky Jones (10.4 ppg). Combined, that quartet is shooting 56.6 percent (82-for-145) from the field, including 54.2 percent (32-for-59) from beyond the arc, at home.

Tag Team - Redshirt junior guard Coron Williams and junior guard Karvel Anderson have teamed up this season to give Robert Morris a lethal combination from deep. Through the first 14 games of the 2012-13 season, the duo have combined for 71 three-pointers, an average of 5.1 per contest. Anderson enters Saturday's game against Central Connecticut State ranked second in the Northeast Conference in three-pointers per game (2.71), while Williams ranks seventh (2.36). The duo are on pace to finish the 2012-13 regular season with 158 three-pointers, which would place Anderson and Williams as the top three-point shooting tandem in school history. The current record of 150 is held by former Colonials Jeremy Chappell (2005-09) and Jimmy Langhurst (2006-10), who turned the trick in 2008-09.

Break Out - Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones produced a season-high 24 points in RMU's 2012-13 Northeast Conference opener vs. Bryant (1/3/13), hitting eight of his 17 shots from the field, including 3-of-8 from long range, and going a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw. He also established a career high with six steals against the Bulldogs. For Jones, it marked the 15th time in his career he's eclipsed 20 points in a game, which ranks ninth all-time at Robert Morris. Jones needs five 20+ point performances to become just the eighth player in school history to score at least 20 points in a game 20 times. RMU's all-time leader in career 20+ point games is all-time leading scorer Myron Walker, who turned the trick 47 times from 1990 to 1994.