Game #1 • Robert Morris (0-0) @ Rider (0-0)
2012-13 Schedule / Results 1 9 12 13 17 19 20 26 1 4 8 15 18 20 3 5 10 12 17 19 24 26 31 2 6 9 14 16 21 23 28 2 6 9 12
NOVEMBER (0-0) SAINT VINCENT (Ex.) @ Rider vs. Lehigh # (ESPNU) vs. Fordham/Pittsburgh # @ Xavier vs. TBA # vs. TBA # @ Savannah State DECEMBER (0-0) OHIO Campbell Hampton DUQUESNE @ Louisiana-Lafayette @ Arkansas JANUARY (0-0) BRYANT * CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE * @ Fairleigh Dickinson * @ Monmouth * (MSG) SACRED HEART * QUINNIPIAC * @ Saint Francis (Pa.) * MOUNT ST. MARY’S * @ St. Francis (N.Y.) * FEBRUARY (0-0) @ LIU Brooklyn * (ESPNU) SAINT FRANCIS (Pa.) * (ROOT) WAGNER * @ Quinnipiac * @ Sacred Heart * MONMOUTH * FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON * @ Bryant * MARCH (0-0) @ Central Connecticut State * NEC Tournament Quarterfinals NEC Tournament Semifinals NEC Tournament Final
Friday, November 9, 2012 • 7:00 p.m. • Alumni Gymnasium (1,650) • Lawrenceville, N.J. Radio: WPIT-AM (730) with Chris Shovlin (play-by-play) & Jim Duzyk (color) Audio available at www.rmucolonials.com Follow RMU Men’s Basketball on Twitter: @RMUMBasketball
W, 81-67 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. TBA 2:00 p.m. TBA TBA 7:00 p.m.
Top Story - The Robert Morris University men’s basketball team opens its 2012-13 regular season and 37th campaign of Division I basketball Friday when it travels to Lawrenceville, N.J., for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Rider at Alumni Gymnasium. Led by third-year head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials return four starters and seven letterwinners from a 2011-12 team that posted an overall record of 26-11 (.702), RMU’s seventh straight winning season. Robert Morris finished third in the Northeast Conference last year with a mark of 13-5 (.722) and advanced to their fourth straight NEC Tournament championship game before falling @ LIU Brooklyn (3/7/12), 90-73. Despite the setback to the Blackbirds, RMU accepted a bid to the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals thanks to road victories @ Indiana State and Toledo. In all, Robert Morris returns 92.2 percent (2,334-of-2,532) of its scoring, 86.2 percent (1,150-of-1,323) of its rebounding and 88.8 percent (443-of-498) of its assists from last season. The Colonials are led by redshirt senior guard Velton Jones, who paced RMU in scoring (16.0 ppg), assists (167) and steals (68) last year en route to 2012 All-NEC First Team accolades.
7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Quick Stat of the Night - Robert Morris enters Friday’s game @ Rider sporting a record of 19-17 (.528) all-time in season openers. The Colonials are opening their season on the road for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign, when RMU suffered a 100-60 loss @ Syracuse (11/11/10) as part of the 2K Sports Classic. All-time Robert Morris owns a record of 3-14 (.176) in season openers on the road and enters Friday’s game @ Rider having suffered four straight losses in season lidlifters away from home. The Colonials last road win to open the year came Nov. 22, 2002, with a 96-86 victory @ UMKC. RMU is also 1-1 in season openers at a neutral site, including a 68-49 win over Morgan State (11/15/04) to open the 2004-05 campaign.
3:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
RMU vs. Rider Friday’s Opponent and The All-Time Series Rider and Robert Morris will meet for the 12th Series Record ............................. Rider leads, 8-3 time in school history Friday, with the Broncs First Meeting ...................... 1/14/93; Rider, 68-59 owning an 8-3 (.727) advantage in the all-time Last Meeting ........................ 11/11/11; RMU, 83-57 series. A former member of the Northeast Con- Last RMU Win ...................... 11/11/11; RMU, 83-57 Current Streak .......................................... RMU, 2 ference, the first 10 meetings between Rider and Toole vs. Rider .................................................. 1-0 RMU came between 1992 and 1997. The Broncs won eight of the first nine meetings between the two programs, but the Colonials have won the last two in the all-time series, including an 83-57 victory at the Charles L. Sewall (11/11/11) to open the 2011-12 campaign. In that contest redshirt junior guard Coron Williams led four players in double figures scoring with a career-high 28 points, converting 11 of his 20 shots from the field, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Anthony-Myers Pate added 14 points and six assists off the bench in the win.
3:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA
# 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off * Northeast Conference game
Robert Morris Probable Starters (w/ 2011-12 statistics) ... # 34 24 1 2 3
P F F F G G
Name Russell Johnson (6-6, 180, R-Sr.) Vaughn Morgan (6-6, 235, Jr.) Mike McFadden (6-8, 220, Jr.) Velton Jones (6-0, 170, R-Sr.) Coron Williams (6-2, 170, R-Jr.)
Pts. 8.5 --8.4 16.0 10.8
Reb. 5.7 --4.3 2.8 2.6
G/GS 31/28 --27/26 37/36 37/37
Hometown Chester, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. Newark, N.J. Philadelphia, Pa. Midlothian, Va.
Quick Fact Enters 2012-13 campaign 131 pts shy of RMU 1,000-point club 10 pts, seven rebounds, three blocks vs. Saint Vincent (11/1/12) Shot a team-high 53.9% (90-for-167) from field last year Owns single-season (207) & career (397) records for free throws Paced Colonials with 87 three-pointers in 2011-12
Robert Morris Off The Bench (w/ 2011-12 statistics) ... # 22 5 15 20 4
P F G G F/C G
Name Lucky Jones (6-6, 205, So.) Anthony Myers-Pate (5-11, 170, Jr.) Karvel Anderson (6-2, 190, Jr.) Stephan Hawkins (6-9, 205, Fr.) David Appolon (6-2, 180, So.)
Pts. 8.5 6.2 ----2.0
Reb. 6.1 2.6 ----1.1
G/GS 35/9 37/1 ----14/0
Hometown Newark, N.J. Washington, D.C. Elkhart, Ind. Gary, Ind. Philadelphia, Pa.
Quick Fact Named to 2012 CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-America Team Third in the NEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.82) in 2011-12 Eight points in 19 minutes vs. Saint Vincent (11/1/12) In 14 minutes vs. Saint Vincent (11/1/12) posted four pts, four reb Averaged 8.1 minutes per game as a freshman in 2011-12