In the Fordham Men’s Basketball’s 13-year history with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), wins have been hard to come by. In fact, Fordham has never won in VCU’s Siegel Center. Despite a compelling second-half fight in last Saturday’s afternoon tilt in Virginia, Fordham fell to 0-8 all-time in their rival Rams’ gymnasium.
The 82-63 loss marked Fordham’s second-worst defensive performance of the Atlantic 10 (A-10) season and snapped a four-game winning streak — the team’s longest in three years. For Head Coach Mike Magpayo, it doesn’t change his message to a team that’s overcome far greater hurdles: “Be ambitious.”
“Hopefully we’re able to learn from this experience,” said the first-year shot-caller. “All that matters — and things can change — is to keep chasing.”
As they have for much of the conference season, the Maroon started slow. For nearly four minutes, VCU held Fordham without a point. Then freshman Roor Akhuar checked in.
On his first touch, Akhuar carved out open space and put in a layup to begin the scoring for the Rams.
“Roor was just all over the place,” said Magpayo postgame. “His energy was tremendous.”
The next possession, graduate student Dae Dae Reaves — the A-10’s reigning co-player of the week — knifed to the rim for an and-one. Despite a pair of Akhuar offensive rebounds in the ensuing possessions, Fordham again went dormant amid a 12-0 VCU run, with the Black and Gold building an 18-5 advantage at the 10:29 mark.
In 16 minutes, Fordham shot just 17% from the field and 11% from three, with as many free throw makes — four — as field goals.
After junior Rikus Schulte drilled a much-needed triple with 3:58 to go, VCU responded, finishing the period on an 11-6 run and taking a 37-22 lead into the break.
Fordham’s 22 first-half points tied its second-fewest of the season. Reaves’ 10 points and two assists accounted for 72% of the Rams’ output. Junior Akira Jacobs, meanwhile, posted a career-high eight first-half rebounds. It was Reaves, Jacobs and senior guard Chris Henry that gave Fordham a shot in the second, just minutes removed from their worst first-half deficit of the year.
Coming out of the break with renewed energy, the trio marshalled a 13-2 run, closing the deficit to 39-35 after a Jacobs three with 17:09 left.
Reaves scored or assisted on 11 of those 13 points, while Henry nailed two threes and an and-one layup to pull Fordham back into contention. After a VCU response, Jacobs cashed in on his second and third triples of the game, bringing the Maroon within just three, 49-46, with 13:13 on the clock.
With the game hanging in the balance, VCU’s overwhelming offensive talent proved too much for the Rams to handle; the Black and Gold closed the game on a fiery 33-17 run. While VCU missed its 83-point scoring average — Fordham has now held 12 consecutive opponents under their average — their fast-paced offense proved too much for a Fordham team that thrives in the defensive half-court.
“They got out in transition, which is what they’re really, really good at,” said Magpayo after the game. “Credit to them, they’re super athletic. They came out with a lot of purpose.”
Jacobs finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the loss, good for his very first double-double and highest combined point-rebound total in three years of college ball.
“He carried us,” Magpayo stated, calling it one of his favorite games for the Japan native, citing his ability to maintain an aggressive approach after a 0-for-3 start.
Reaves tallied 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting, tacking on seven assists despite being at the epicenter of VCU’s defensive game plan. His streak of double-digit scoring performances extends to 28 — double the length of the next-longest streak in the conference.
“They basically were trapping him every time he came off an action,” Magpayo said. “He still found a way to really impact the game. He laid it on the line out there.”
In his last 19 games, Reaves has posted 15 or more points 16 times. The Iona University transfer has all but locked up the A-10 scoring title, now posting 17.7 points per game, a full point above second place.
As the calendar flips to March, Fordham looks to lean on Reaves and embrace the madness. The Rams travel west for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off against La Salle University, and cap the season at home against the University of Rhode Island Saturday at 2 p.m. — two teams that Fordham beat earlier in the year.
With one win, the Rams will clinch a first-round bye in the A-10 Championships, which begin Wednesday, March 11, in Pittsburgh. With two wins and some help elsewhere, Fordham could be a No. 6 seed in the tournament, its third-highest placement in 20 years.
