Recap: RMU tops LIU

Robert Morris began their three game roadtrip by defeating rival Long Island 65-56 tonight, boucing back from their first NEC loss, moving their record to 13-11, 8-1 in the NEC.

The first half of play was ugly to say the least. RMU jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead due to some nice extra passing and even better defense. LIU had to call a timeout just 3:55 into the game. LIU was like a different team after the timeout, tightening up on defense and forcing RMU into a lot of bad shots. Also of note: Toole went with a lineup that was voided of Lucky Jones and Karvel Anderson. Anderson picked up a quick two fouls and was not a factor in the first half, scoring zero points.

RMU did whatever it took to keep LIU alive in the first half. They turned the ball over a ton; mostly at the hands of Kavon Stewart, who had three of the ten total turnovers. With all that being said, RMU lead 27-24 at half.

Then Karvel Anderson happened. After being held scoreless in the first half, Anderson hit two quick three's to start the second half and never looked back. He finished 6-13 from the field and 4-8 from three with 16 total points. As we noted earlier in the week, the Colonials have had trouble finishing opponents and LIU was looking like they were going to make a run just down seven but Anderson re-entered the game with around six minutes left and four fouls and promptly nailed a three pointer ALL IN THE GRILL OF A BLACKBIRD DEFENDER and it was amazing. After that, the game was pretty much over.

Analysis:
-What a nice bounceback win for RMU. Karvel always talks about being like Kobe Bryant and he had that type of performance tonight. He was a killer out there with 16 second half points. If you didn't get a chance to see the three pointer I was referring to in the recap, please do. One thing I love about Karvel is his footwork: it's superior to anyone I've watched play this year. No matter where he is facing when he shoots, his feet are always set. Outstanding.

Aaron Tate played a big part in RMU's win.

-The second best game played by a Colonial was Aaron Tate. Tate was a workhorse in another big game that found Stephan Hawkins in foul trouble (Hawk did score ten points on 4-7 shooting when he got to play). Of Tate's eleven rebounds, five were offensive. That's incredible. Podium game for Tate.

-Credit should be given to Lucky Jones. He got shutout in the second half, but when RMU needed him to step up and score in the first half with Anderson on the bench he did.

-Its been a tough season for LIU. They had no Gerrell Martin tonight, who is probably their best perimeter scorer, due to a sprained shoulder. Jason Brickman had some trouble driving against the zone defense of RMU, but still finished with 11 assists. He is on pace for a record setting year.

-Nice win for RMU. Not much more to add at this point, this is about what I expected (albeit a little more high scoring) from this game. I fully expect the Colonials to go 3-0 on this roadtrip.

--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella

Nice win after that confusing/bad/ugly loss Saturday. It was really important that RMU not only win, but finish strong, and they did just that. Karvel Anderson was once again fantastic. Foul trouble kept on on the bench for most of the first half, but it didn't slow him down in the second frame. That's impressive, and I really enjoy watching Karvel show off his skills on National TV. He deserves the recognition.

Aaron Tate gets my game ball. He got a career high (I think) 11 rebounds and brought a ton of energy to the table. He scored five points, had a nice assist passing out of a double-team, and played maybe his best game yet in a Colonials uniform. That's good to see moving forward.

Kavon Stewart didn't have his best game, but we need to remember he's just a freshman. I like the aggressiveness, and he once again was a major threat on the top of the zone. He has some crazy active hands.

I'll maintain that Stephan Hawkins is the most important player for RMU going forward. He once again played well, but got in foul trouble. Luckily it didn't cost the team, but Hawk has to do a better job staying on the court. Some of the fouls he committed were avoidable.

When Luck finds his shot, the league better watch out. Lucky once again was a huge reason the Colonials won, and he did it without his jumper making a huge impact. History tells us Jones is a better shooter then his current rate, so expect his numbers to increase moving forward.

Good win, huge game Saturday at St Francis Brooklyn, preview up tomorrow on CTC.

--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5

Box via ESPN