Jones, Anderson lead Colonials to OT win over St. Francis-NY

Jalen Cannon had given the Terriers a 70-69 advantage with 12.3 seconds to play by converting a three-point play thanks to a layup and foul by sophomore forward Stephen Hawkins.

RMU called timeout, and out of the break senior guard Karvel Anderson missed a 3-pointer, but Jones was underneath the basket for the off-balance putback to push RMU back in front.

St. Francis Brooklyn had one last chance, but a Brent Jones 3-point attempt from just inside midcourt was off the mark.

The Colonials sixth consecutive win improved their season record to 18-11 overall and 13-1 in the NEC. SFC slipped to 16-13 overall and 7-7 in league play.

In a game that featured six ties and 16 lead changes, the Colonials scored the first five points of the extra frame to open up a 67-62 lead at the 4:30 mark of overtime thanks to a dunk from sophomore forward David Appolon and an Anderson 3-pointer.

Lucky Jones would eventually stretch the lead for RMU to 69-62 with a pair of free throws, but St. Francis Brooklyn charged back with an 8-0 run to take its final lead. Ben Mockford hit a three-pointer, while Cannon scored five points.

The game went to overtime thanks to the inside play of the Terriers, as Kevin Douglas converted a layup with 32 seconds left in regulation to tie the score, 62-62. Anderson would miss a jumper at the end of the second half, setting up the extra stanza.

St. Francis Brooklyn shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the field in the first half in building a 37-31 cushion at halftime as Cannon and Lowell Ulmer combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting before the break.

The biggest lead of the game for the Terriers came at the 17:53 mark of the second half, when a three-pointer by Douglas gave SFC a 43-31 advantage. RMU chipped away, using a 12-3 surge to take a 50-49 lead with 9:35 to play on a 3-pointer from Jones.

That set up a back-and-forth affair the rest of the contest, with neither team leading by more than three.

Anderson scored a game-high 31 points for Robert Morris and also added four rebounds and three steals as one of four Colonials to reach double figures in scoring. Jones added 14 points and eight rebounds, senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate chipped in 12 points and eight assists and Appolon finished with 10 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting and also grabbed five boards.

Cannon and Ulmer paced St. Francis Brooklyn with 18 points each, with Cannon adding seven rebounds and five assists. Mockford chipped in 12 points, while Brent Jones finished with eight points and eight assists.

Robert Morris concludes the 2013-14 regular season with a two-game road swing, beginning Thursday, Feb. 27, with a 7:00 p.m. tip at Fairleigh Dickinson.