The Robert Morris University men’s basketball team opens a three-game homestand Tuesday when it welcomes Youngstown State for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials will also host Buffalo (12/7) and Duquesne (12/13) as part of their homestand.
– RMU posted a record of 2-3 (.400) on its five-game road trip away from the Charles L. Sewall Center, including a 1-3 (.250) in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Colonials concluded their road swing with a 71-54 victory over the University of Louisiana at Monroe (11/27/14) as junior guard Rodney Pryor came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points.
– Junior forward Lucky Jones added 12 points, a game-high nine rebounds and two steals off the bench in the win over the Warhawks, while senior guard David Appolon contributed 11 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
– In its most complete game of the 2014-15 campaign, Robert Morris established season highs in points off turnovers (25) and points in the paint (30) while registering 38 bench points in its victory over ULM.
– Junior guard Rodney Pryor led the Colonials in the Battle 4 Atlantis, averaging 14.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in four games while shooting 51.4 percent (18-for-35) from the field, including 50 percent (10-for-20) from beyond the arc.
– Overall during RMU’s five-game road swing, junior guard Rodney Pryor produced averages of 16.4 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 58.1 percent (25-for-43) from the floor, including 59.3 percent (16-for-27) from deep, and 84.2 percent (16-for-19) at the free-throw line.
– Led by fifth-year head coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials return three starters and six letterwinners from a 2013-14 squad that finished with an overall record of 22-14 (.611), RMU’s ninth straight winning season.
– The Colonials were picked third in the 2014 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the ninth consecutive year RMU has been selected to finish in the top three in the league.
– Senior forward Lucky Jones, named to the 2014 Preseason All-NEC Team, is RMU’s active leading scorer and rebounder with career totals of 1,259 points and 697 rebounds. He is 55 caroms shy of becoming the program’s all-time leading rebounder.
– From 2007-08 through the 2013-14 campaign, Robert Morris compiled an overall record of 163-81 (.668), with the 163 victories tied for seventh with Akron among mid-major programs in the seven-year span.
The Last 250 – Robert Morris returns home to the Charles L. Sewall Center Tuesday to host Youngstown State having played exactly 250 games since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign. To say it’s been the best stretch in school history is an understatement. Over that span, the Colonials have posted a record of 165-85 (.660). How important has defense been to RMU’s success? The Colonials have held their opponent to less than 70 points in 150 of their last 250 games, or 60 percent of the time. In those contests, Robert Morris is 125-25 (.833).
Steal City – Robert Morris finished the 2013-14 campaign tops in the Northeast Conference in steals, averaging 7.08 per game. It marked the fifth time in the last seven years that the Colonials have paced the league in steals. RMU is right back at it again this season, as the Colonials enter Tuesday’s game against Youngstown State tops in the NEC in steals per game (9.33). In a 71-54 win over ULM (11/27/14) that wrapped up play in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Robert Morris posted a season-high 12 steals, the fourth consecutive game RMU has finished with at least 10 steals.
There’s An App For That – Senior guard David Appolon has been one of the most consistent members of the Colonials to crash the glass in the early portion of the 2014-15 campaign. In a 68-61 victory @ Bradley (11/19/14), Appolon tied a career high in caroms by grabbing a game-high nine rebounds while also contributing seven points and a pair of steals. Appolon also chipped in 11 points, four rebounds and two steals in a 71-54 victory over ULM (11/27/14), marking the first time he’s reached double figures in scoring in 2014-15. Over the last two years, RMU is 4-1 (.800) when Appolon scores at least 10 points in a game.
Free Is For Me – While the offense has struggled at times early in the 2014-15 campaign, one area the Colonials have excelled has been not only getting to the free-throw line, but converting at the charity stripe. Robert Morris enters Tuesday’s game against Youngstown State leading the Northeast Conference in free-throw percentage at 73.2 percent (104-for-142). Individually, four Colonials rank in the top 10, led by senior guard David Appolon, who has drained 19 of his 22 attempts at the line, a success rate of 86.4 percent that ranks second in the league. Junior guard Rodney Pryor, meanwhile, ranks third at 84.2 percent (16-for-19).
Hot Rod – Rodney Pryor has settled into a groove offensively for Robert Morris, as the junior guard enters Tuesday’s game against Youngstown State leading the Colonials in scoring at 14.5 points per game while shooting 51.9 percent (27-for-52) from the field, including 51.5 percent (17-for-33) from deep, and 84.2 percent (16-for-19) at the free-throw line. Pryor ranks in the top five in the Northeast Conference in five different categories, including third in scoring, three-point field goal percentage, three-point field goals made per game and free-throw percentage and fourth in field goal percentage.
Reserve Clause – Thanks to the contributions of freshman guard Marcquise Reed and junior guard Rodney Pryor, the Robert Morris bench enters Tuesday’s game against Youngstown State averaging 32.2 points in six games, a margin of +12.2. The group is shooting 40.7 percent (61-for-150) from the field, including 39.6 percent (21-for-53) from beyond the arc, and 73.5 percent (50-for-68) at the free-throw line.
From RMU PR staff.
