By Max Prinz
For the second time in as many games, the Fordham men’s basketball team was overwhelmed by a hot start from its opponent. Facing George Washington last Thursday night, the Rams allowed the Colonials to jump out to a 12-2 start and were unable to climb out of that early hole.
Playing in special throwback uniforms to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Rose Hill Gym, the Rams struggled to find their offensive game early on. Additionally, Fordham’s poor defense allowed the Colonials to shoot 70 percent from the field in the first half.
“We’ve got some growing up to do,” head coach Tom Pecora said after the game. “We’ve lost the last three games in the first five minutes. We haven’t come out and played with the passion and intensity that we need to.”
It was a poor showing from the Rams on a night when many Fordham fans were hoping for a result better befitting the now 90-year-old gym. A number of famous Fordham alumni, including ESPN’s Tony Reali and Yankees announcer Michael Kay, returned to their old stomping grounds to celebrate the historic gym.
The Rams, however, failed to show up to fight. Fordham trailed George Washington 41-27 at halftime and looked lost on both ends of the court.
“I told them at walkthrough that if they did not come out foaming at the mouth and ready to play like a pack of dogs, they were not going to win this game,” Pecora said. “We did not come out and play with that type of sense of urgency.”
The lone bright spot in the first half was the play of Jon Severe, who rallied for 10 first-half points in his best game since returning from a leave of absence.
“Jon played well in spurts,” Pecora said. “He’s got to continue to work on guarding, and he can’t turn the ball over.”
The Rams managed to put up a little bit of a fight in the second half, but it was too little, too late. After trailing 63-42 at the 9:20 mark, Fordham made a run to cut the lead to as little as 10 points. Led by freshman Eric Paschall, who scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half, the Rams made the score 69-59 with four minutes left to play. For the first time all night, Fordham fans had something to cheer about.
The Rams’ chances of a comeback evaporated just as quickly. George Washington scored the next five points of the game, including a back-breaking three-pointer from Patricio Garino, to regain a 15-point advantage. From there, the Rams failed to score another point, and the game was all but decided.
The slow start clearly frustrated Pecora, who vowed to change up the team’s pregame routine.
“Whatever they do when they’re away from us with their pregame preparation has got to change,” Pecora said. “I’m going to change the way we go about our pregame, and I’m going to get their attention. Make sure they understand it’s game day, and things are going to be a little bit different.”
Next up for the Rams is a home matchup against Rhode Island on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The Rams lost when they faced Rhode Island on the road, but it was a close 68-65 game. This next contest may be Fordham’s best chance to avoid going winless in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
“I said to them, ‘Guys, if you do not change your ways and you do not start competing for 40 minutes, it’s not going to just happen’,” Pecora said.
